Love and Loss
by Juliet'sReplacement
Summary: So... This is terrible. This is HORRIBLE. I do not recommend you read this. Instead, read my other DF fanfiction if you don't want to be permanently scarred by the Mary Sue in this story. DX Amirix (the Mary Sue) x ... I think 2 different people. I take that back, 3.
1. Love and Loss Chapter 1

Amirix silently walked through the woods, barely noticing as the pine trees around her grew ever more barren and dead, and some even glowing green. It meant she was getting closer to the Necropolis; and that was a good thing.

As the girl in the black robe strode into full view of the huge gate, shaped like a skull, she shivered involuntarily- she hated this place. But she came here anyways, completing quests that would shape the very future of Lore, as well as unlock special abilites, making her possibly the most powerful human in Lore. As Amirix walked up to the Paladin beside the gates, she noticed the eager, determined, and possibly happy look in his eyes. Which, of course, meant that there must be undead nearby. But that was Artix for you.

"Hey, Artix," the Mage said wryly, looking up at the huge Paladin through her lashes. She didn't look up, she never did. She preferred to keep the black hood on her head... well, on.

"Amirix! I'm so glad you are here, there's a wave of Undead Beserkers coming around the west side of the Necropolis!"

Amirix nodded briefly, fingering the onyx jewel at the top of her ivory staff, and silently ran around the west side of the huge gates that led only down. True to what Artix had said, 3 Undead Beserkers were advancing on the south side of the peaceful Willowshire, and at the dead of night? _Sneaky little buggers, _thought Amirix irritably. She snuck around them, using the bushes and the dead trees for cover, until she was in their path. One Undead Beserker could do enough damage, but 3?

"No further!" called Amirix in a voice that rang with command, suddenly standing straight.

"Aaaarrrrrreeeeeeaaaawwwwooooo!" was the response, and Amirix smirked slightly- she didn't speak Undead. Instead of responding, she set her ivory staff in the ground, the onyx jewel slightly leaning towards them, and in her left hand, held close against her body, she began to mutter an incantation under her breath. As she did so, the 3 skeletons with hammers lined up, hammers ready.

Suddenly, Amirix, with an effortless flick of her wrist, sent a bright ball of nothing but pure light energy at the middle Beserker. He collapsed in a pile of bones next to a hammer, of course. In the same instant, she raised a slightly blued bubble around herself, and awaited the oncoming attack. But unbeknownst to the 2 remaining Undead Beserkers, there was something special about her shield, something that almost no other Mages had; her shield would only repel _some_ attacks. But, for those attacks that landed on her, the same amount taken from her would also be drained from her attacker.

The Beserker on the left swung his hammer, aiming for the black hood edged with white on Amirix's head, but hit the shield and could go no further. Blocked. The second one swung his hammer in a sideways arc, heading straight for her ribs. This would be a powerful blow, she knew. The hammer struck her side, making her sway and gasp, but the skeleton shape, already preparing for another blow, just collapsed. The return damage had destroyed it. Bu in the next instant, the Mage had recovered, and knew her HP to be high still. Her MP was draining fast, however, due to the shield. After the attack by the first Undead Beserker she'd have to drop it.

And here it came!

As the hammer of the final Undead Beserker swung down, Amirix slid to the side at the last second. It would have gone through her shield reguardless. As the minion stepped back for another blow, Amirix gestured at it with the onyx-tipped end of her staff, and a ball charged with energy and electricity spun straight towards it, almost too fast for the eye to follow. But it struck the Undead Beserker straight in the chest.

However, it did not collapse. By some unlucky chance, Amirix's attack had not killed it. And now, the bones of the thing began to glow red, and its grip on the hammer tightened. The young Mage knew it was Beserking- and that was bad. An Undead Beserker, when beserking, could do up to 3 times its usual damage, and within a shorter time frame. Amirix had only seconds to kill or be killed. Shooting out a jet of light that would hold it at bay, if only for a few moments, she muttered feverishly, and within her clenched hand appeared a ball of fire. But it did not burn her, though she felt its heat. She threw it at the glowing red skeleton just as it broke the barrier of light, and the red bone fragments shattered into a pile at her feet, and the hammer landed on top. Also there was a small silver shield, no more than a couple inches in length, that Amirix gingerly picked up and stowed inside her robe. An Undead Slayer badge, and she knew she could get a small amount of Gold from selling it to Artix- he loved these things, which was a mystery to her.

Sighing, Amirix glanced down at her robe, judging whether or not to change anything. Still a black satin Mage's robe, edged with white satin, and a black hood edged with white. Throwing back her right sleeve, the arm that brandished the staff, she saw a long scratch going down her forearm, from the back of her wrist to almost the inside of her elbow. Courtesy of an Aquweevil before she came. But now, Amirix murmured, almost crooned a soft spell to her forearm, and it healed up right before her eyes. Not completely, though- her MP was too drained from the battle with the Beserkers. All it did was scab over, then the scab began to fade, but at least it appeared to be almost a week old. In other words, it would not disable her in the middle of the battle.

Amirix began to walk back to Artix, when out of nowhere a Tog leaped at her. It managed to fix its jaws around her left ankle before she angrily cast it off with a gust of wind, and now caused her a great deal of pain as she walked. But she'd get to Artix soon, at least he had full healing powers, which not every Paladin did. Suddenly, she glanced up sharply as the soft sound of beating wings reached her ears. It was small, whatever it was, and then she realized she knew the sound. Her little baby dragon landed in front of her, almost invisible in the darkness that surrounded the Necropolis gate. The only things that gave it away were its white wing membranes, white horns that were short with its young age, and vibrant blue eyes. It snuffled at her ankle, and then squeaked.

"It's okay, Khadijah," she murmured, leaning down painfully to tap its nose. It was her equivalent of a hug or stroke, and she knew Khadijah didn't really like hugs or lots of petting, anyways. She watched curiously as Khadijah shuffled forwards, towards her injured ankle, and then bumped it with its nose. The spasm of pain almost made Amirix cringe away, but she knew her baby dragon wouldn't hurt her intentionally.

And then the pain ceased.

Blinking in surprise, Amirix leaned down to her baby dragon, and examined her ankle. The skin was smooth and whole, as though it had never been damaged before. She looked incredulously at Khadijah, who was watching her nervously through blue eyes.

"Looks like that Special Baby Dragon Chow is doing its work, huh, Khadijah," she murmured, tapping his nose again. The soft 'thump' of its long, chubby tail hitting a nearby dead tree made her smile.

"Come on, let's go see Artix. Then we can go and visit Lady Celestia and Elysia."


	2. Love and Loss Chapter 2

"Greetings, Lady Celestia. Hello, Elysia."

"Greetings, Amirix."

The black-and-white clad Mage walked around the right side of the fountain to greet the 2 women clad in white robes standing outside a small cottage, surrounded by a garden and a few trees.

"Lady Celestia, may I ask you something?"

"You just did," pointed out the beautiful woman. "But you may ask me something else, of course."

Amirix reflected for a moment, then questioned, "Khadijah healed a small wound given to me by a Tog today. Have you been helping train him?"

Lady Celestia looked at Amirix with a surprised expression. "Why, no, Amirix. I'd assumed it was you training him, as his magic level was a little higher than any dragon hatchling I'd seen in a long time. And you do fight with magic, after all, you are a Mage."

"Hm. Ah, well, it's not bothering me at the moment. Do you have any Special Dragon Chow here?"

"Do you have any DragonCoins?" responded Lady Celestia, smiling. "You know I do not sell it, I only make it."

Amirix laughed lightly, then threw the black hood of her robes back. Her hair gleamed white in the sunlight, the intricate braided bun appearing glued to the back of her head, and her tan skin just soaked up the warmth. Khadijah flew in little circles around her head, squeaking happily, just like a little orbit. Then he went flying off, chasing a small bird that easily outflew him.

"Khadijah!" Amirix called up to him, after she had purchased the Chow. He dive-bombed her once or twice, and she ducked, then he landed clumsily next to her, and she placed the steel bowl with the chow in it in front of him. He scuttled up to it, then began to devour the contents.

When the little black and white dragon had finished, she took the bowl, and made it vanish with a flick of her wrist.

"Well, we've got to get going, I promised Reens I'd drop by and see her," explained Amirix, smiling at Lady Celestia and Elysia.

Amirix threw her hood back up, then turned away from the two women. Walking over to the crystal clear lake several meters away, Amirix took Khadijah in her arms, tapped his nose, then took a deep breath and vanished. When she opened her eyes again, she and Khadijah were in Falconreach, of course. She was getting better at transporting skills every day. Gently setting Khadijah on the grass by her feet, the young Mage began to stride confidently towards the Health Potion signs. Reens was going to help her up her potions level, so each potion she drank would heal her more.

"Wait on the roof, or in a tree," breathed Amirix to Khadijah, her deep blue eyes glittering. She didn't want anyone to mess with her dragon, but she knew he wasn't allowed in the shop. Obedient to her wishes as ever, a pair of small white wings extended, and then flapped hard until they reached one of the sheltered branches of the oak tree between the Health potion shop and the Mana potion shop.

Amirix quickly stepped inside, and after a short greeting, she questioned Reens, "What reagents do I need?"

"Um... I'm not sure, let me check," replied the other in a sort of singsong voice, reaching for a lengthy piece of parchment. Her huge blue eyes scanned it quickly, then she smiled wide, and said, "You only need Sourpalm, Snapdrake, and Dingleberry Bush!" Amirix smiled slightly in return, and said, "I know my way around, Reens. I'll go get them now."

Going out the back way, she emerged into a forest. Almost immediately she saw the first creature, but managed to sneak by the Forest Fury, and grabbed the small Sourpalm tree, placing it in her bag. The next reagent, a Snapdrake flower, lay behind a second Forest Fury. Sighing slightly, Amirix prepared for battle.

Without warning, from behind she shot a blast of fire, severely injuring the Fury. By the time it had turned, she had prepared a bolt of ice, and quickly dodged its attack. Then she threw the icy energy at it, nearly killing it. But it was still on its feet... wings?

Anyways, Amirix took a light hit from the razor feathers it threw, only a scrape or 2. It wouldn't impair how she fought. Creating a ball of nothing but pure lightning, Amirix swirled it for an instant above the onyx jewel, then blew it. It shot, fast as an arrow, at the Fury.

And it just dropped.

Once it had vanished, a few gold coins lay in its place. Amirix pocketed them, then began to look around for the final item- Dingleberry Bush. She had to fight a second Forest Fury on the way there, but got past it with no injuries.

She emerged onto the small open area before the cliff, and saw the dark green bush near the edge, and had to defeat a Clawkin Wanderer before collecting it.


	3. Love and Loss Chapter 3

"Well done, Amirix!" squealed Reens, hugging Amirix tightly. She loved the other girl like a sister.

"I'll see you later, Reens. I've got to get home."

"Okay, see you, Amirix!" called the blue-haired girl, waving excitedly. "Stop by whenever you've got time!"

"I will," promised the black-robed Mage.

After gathering Khadijah, she transported to her home. It was a small cottage, much like the one she had grown up in, being a farmer's daughter. But no other save her and Khadijah knew the fact. It was impossible for her to hide anything from her dragon, try though she might.

Walking in the door to her home, Amirix sternly told her black-and-white dragon, "Don't sneeze or burn anything!" Nodding, he sauntered over to his little red-velvet-and-gold dragon hatchling bed. He curled up in it, watching his human with big blue eyes. Nodding in approval, she turned to her Mage table, and placed the gold coins she'd gotten collecting reagents in a tiny chest. But she had used magic to enlarge it on the inside, to hold a greater amount. The chest as of currently appeared on the outside to be only about six inche by three inches by three inches.

Upon leaving her little cottage, Amirix teleported herself and Khadijah to a spot in a lush forest, where fairy-like animals were running rampant and causing a hazard to travelers. As soon as she set foot on the springy, mossy path, she was set upon by a Minx Fairy.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. Minx Fairies could full heal themselves at their leisure, therefore you had to kill them in one hit. This was extremely difficult.

Concentrating, Amirix swept her black-and-white sleeve back, and with a flick of her wrist sent a ball of pure fire spinning towards the Fairy. It vanished at once. Not much farther on, she encountered 3 SylphDrakes. Shaking her head, Amirix sent out exactly 3 balls of light energy at the 3. All fell. The young sorceress found a couple of gold coins by the spot where they vanished, and pocketed them at once. This was her reward during a quest. Not long after, she had a run-in with 2 other Minx Fairies. But these were not ordinary Minxes- these were Deft Minx Fairies, and they had far more HP than the norm. Khadjiah's help would be required here.

After failing to down the first with a hit, it healed itself, and the process began again. The same thing happened multiple times, and Amirix was getting furious. The tiny thing's smug smile ruled over everything else, and without warning Amirix suddenly lost her grip in her head. A scream emanated through her lips, and her eyes turned a deadly violet, as did Khadijah's, since they were linked. From the top of her onyx staff came a large orb, roughly the size of her head, and pulsing and glowing slightly. A slight vibrating noise came from it, so great was the power contained, and it slowly rose up about a foot from the top of the staff. Then suddenly, it shot at both of the Minxes, and it completely obliterated them.

Looking at the small pile of ashes, Amirix said mildly to Khadijah, "Well, maybe I overdid things."

Her little black dragon gave her a look, and she returned a sheepish smile. They continued to battle their way through the forest without too much incident, and Amirix earned a good deal of gold.

"This will go a long way towards your food- and your training," she murmured to her baby dragon. He squeaked.


	4. Love and Loss Chapter 4

"One more hit," she breathed in Draconic. Khadijah lunged forward once more, nearly unseating Amirix, and caught the Kaiju under one of its left arms. It slowly toppled backwards, its red eyes going wide. Amirix slid gingerly to the ground again, wincing as she did so. She felt every injury the Kaijin had caused Khadijah, and inhaled a deep breath through her teeth as she saw the damage.

"Come on," she whispered, walking towards a small healing pad by one of the houses of downtown Yotokyo. She gingerly placed one of her dragon's claws on it, and sighed in relief. As all of his wounds healed, she felt hers do so as well. "These Kaijin are hell, huh, Khadijah?" she grumbled. A growl from far above her head confirmed the fact. Looking up at the black-and-white form again, Amirix wondered again how her dragon had gotten so huge in such a short amount of time- only a month. And he was already fighting Elementals- and winning- that were 20 levels above themselves.

"Well, I do believe that's enough practice for one day," muttered Amirix, scrambling back up onto Khadijah's back. Seeing as she was wearing black and white armor, instead of her usual mage's robe, this was terribly difficult. But she was so stiff... thankfully, this was fading swiftly, thanks to the healing pads. When both she and her humungous dragon were fully healed, they left Yotokyo, and returned to Amirix's home town- Falconreach. As soon as Amirix had removed her dragon amulet from the cavity, lined with steel, that was in Khadijah's chest, he turned back into a tiny hatchling.

Suddenly, Elysia came running up to them, her white robe billowing out behind her.

"Amirix, come quickly! There are undead minions on the very edges of Falconreach, you must help us stop them!"

Without a word, the now black-robed Mage followed behind her as she raced towards the walls.

"They're coming in waves," murmured Amirix, frowning. "They're being controlled... Sepulchure, maybe?"

"It's possible."

"I'm going out there to fight them. Let's see... there are normally about 6 in a wave... after I go out to fight, I need you ready to heal me when I come back. I can take care of a lot..."

"Okay," agreed Elysia, wide-eyed. Amirix threw her black hood up over her white hair, her blue eyes sparking dangerously, and hissed when Khadijah tried to follow her, "No, you stay here. I can't afford having you hurt by Necromancer magic." Khadijah, she knew, had light energy as his primary attacking source. He could be severly hurrt by darkness. Her little black dragon whimpered, and she tapped him gently on the nose. "I'll be back soon," she promised.

And then she swiftly and bravely broke the cover of Falconreach to destroy the waves of undead.

Amirix screamed in effort as she attempted to keep her shield bubble up amidst being attacked by an enTog, a Skeleton Guardian, and a Shoulder Blades. Once again, her eyes blazed violet, and on the top of her ivory and onyx staff there appeared a glowing ball of pure energy. It shot out at all three opponents, and turned them all to soot.

Amirix let her shiled drop, and painfully limped inside the walls of Falconreach. The enTog had bitten her, hard, on her left calf- it was slowly losing feeling and she could not put any weight on it.

"Elysia," she gasped, sliding to a sitting position on the inside of the wall. The young woman rushed over, muttering over her, and putting some strange, acid green colored liquid on her wounds. They healed immediately, but hurt like the devil. As soon as the wounds inflicted were healed, she got right back up, using her staff to support herself, and made sure her hood was over her white braids.

"Amirix, you can't go back out there," Elysia protested. "You're exhausted as is, and you've already wiped out more waves than all of the Tower's Guardians combined!"

"But it's not enough."

"I think that I might be able to help..."

A calm, unflustered voice came from behind the Mage, and she whipped around, nearly causing her hood to fall. She saw Tomix standing there, his weapon on his hand, as always.

"Hey, Tomix," she said shyly. She really liked Tomix, but there was no way she would let him know.

Tomix nodded briefly to Elysia, and said, "Amirix, I'll help you with a wave or two. But then no more; Elysia is right. You're exhausted."

"...Fine," sighed Amirix, crossing her arms. She really couldn't refuse Tomix anyway, and she WAS tired.


	5. Love and Loss Chapter 5 to 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Since this chapter is so short, I will be placing two here. Enjoy, things start to heat up... literally... Amirix takes a trip to the Sandsea.

Amirix woke, but did not yet open her eyes. What had happened the day before? Elysia had come up to her, panicked... and Tomix had shown up at some point... what was that blank spot?

"_Falconreach_!" she gasped, sitting up suddenly. Her head swam. She sank back against the pillows again, spots blinking in her field of vision. When she had recovered, she quietly sat up again. Amirix swept her gaze around where she was laying, or, rather, sitting, and saw that it was her room. She was laying in her bed, Khadijah curled up, sleeping, at her feet. The sun appeared to be coming in the window on the wall from the wrong direction; from the East? Was it the next morning? Amirix took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She hoped the other Guardians had managed to get by without her, and realized an important detail she had missed.

Tomix?

He was sitting in a plain, wooden chair, leaned against the wall, and his head with his silver hair was dropped down onto his chest. His arms were crossed, but he hadn't taken his Soulweaver armour off. He was asleep. Amirix suddenly felt a surge of warmth for the quiet, handsome young man. He had taken her home when she collapsed, had taken care of her, and had watched her through the night, making sure that she was alright.

Groaning slightly, she swiveled, and let her feet hang over the edge of her bed. Her toes brushed the cold wooden floor, and she shivered. It was about this point that she noticed her Mage's robe hanging on a hook beside her bed, as always, and that she was in the thin, short, sleeveless white gown that always went under her robe. Tomix again?

The young woman slipped into the kitchen, and poked her head into the icebox, looking for Vultragon eggs. She'd gotten several a couple days ago, and was going to treat herself- and Tomix- to a real breakfast.

"That was delicious, Amirix. I give you my thanks."

"I owe you my thanks, Tomix. You really saved my ass last night."

The silver-haired Soulweaver chuckled, then stood from the table. "I must return to Ravenloss, I sense that Greed is... causing more trouble."

Amirix nodded, smiling slightly. "Be careful- you don't want that glove to break." Tomix almost smiled at this, and Amirix involuntarily reflected on how he had been before Ravenloss; smiling all the time, cheerful, a crimson-haired juvenile. But now...

"I will see you the next time you come to Ravenloss, then," he said quietly, turning and exiting her house.

"Goodbye... Tomix..." the Mage whispered, a few moments too late. Then, shaking herself out of her memories, she stood to clean up the kitchen. As soon as she had finished, she went outside with her staff. She was in her Mage's robe, and Khadijah scrambled up to her, the Dragon Amulet clasped in his little jaws.

"Are you ready, little one?" murmured Amirix, gathering up Khadijah in her arms. He squeaked, and she took a deep breath. She softly repeated an incantation, and when she opened her eyes again she was in the Sandsea, the sun beating down on her and her dragon pip. Glancing down at her robes, she smiled- the change she had set last time had worked. Her robes had gone exactly the opposite, the black turning to white, the white turning to black. It was far cooler in the desert. And Khadijah was now white with pale gray wings instead of black. He tottered after her as she slowly walked through the town. Seeing Zhoom standing at the corner of the inn, just watching the few passerby, she walked up to him fearlessly.

"Good morning, Zhoom," she greeted him, smiling. She had always liked his straightforward manner and his haughty attitude- it drew her in a little bit. But she preferred Tomix.

"Amirix," he said curtly. "Are you looking for a job, or just wasting my time?"

But Amirix smiled- this was how Zhoom normally spoke, she knew. He'd had a hard life.

"Actually, I might just have found a job for you." Zhoom suddenly raised his head, the black tattoos on his face, under his eyes, catching the harsh light of the Sandsea. "It's a... fair amount."

"Where?" The one word, and Amirix knew she had won. She'd been friends with Zhoom since the beginning, in a roundabout way, and helped him out now and then with finding a bounty.

"Follow me. I think you might like this one."

"_Dragesvard?_"

"Is something wrong with that, Zhoom?"

"Yes, dammit! It's _cold!_"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were part sand elf. You're used to warmer temperatures."

"How the _hell_ do you forget that? I've got _pointy ears_!"

"Oh... I see what you mean," replied Amirix, her eyes dancing. It was difficult to get any kind of reaction out of Zhoom, and when you did it was fun. But she had 'forgotten' on purpose. "Look, Zhoom, there's a huge bounty on a certain mercenary's head, and there's a reason it's big.

Even though he was shivering, Zhoom's emerald eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Jeez, I thought Rangers were smart. The reason his bounty is so big is because he's dangerous. He's killed more than one bounty hunter, and Galanoth has offered a huge price on his head. It'll take more than a Ranger to get him." Amirix was sure that she had enforced her point, and led the way through the glacier. She glanced back at Zhoom, and saw once again his rolling muscles, bare because of the sleeveless sort of belted vest he wore. After thinking for a second, she made her decision.

"Here," she muttered, producing a small ball of fire. She held it comfortably in her palm.

"And how the hell am I supposed to hold that?" growled Zhoom. She sighed, flicked his palm with her free hand, then dropped the ball onto his hand. But she had made it so that hand could not be burned- Zhoom was able to hold the fire.

"Don't drop it," she warned. "If you do, it will explode; and then we'll be in big trouble."

After a couple minutes, she heard the shivering stop, and was glad her friend was warmer. They walked out of the glacier tunnel and onto the cobblestone streets of Dragesvard, and Amirix immediately saw Galanoth standing there.

"Galanoth!" she cried, running and hugging him tightly, as tight as she could around his armour. Galanoth and her had been through a great many adventures when they were younger- they were practically adopted siblings.

"Good to see you too, Amirix," chuckled Galanoth. "And who's this?" He turned his gaze, invisible from the depths of his helmet, onto Zhoom, who stood silently watching the two.

"This is Zhoom," began Amirix seriously. "He and I have come to try for the bounty...?"

"Ah. Here he is... Abubu Kafay. He's a mercenary, and will work for anyone, for the highest bidder." Galanoth made his distaste for mercenaries clear in his voice, and when he produced the scroll from _some_where in his armour Amirix handed it straight to Zhoom.

His emerald eyes scanned the scross quickly, memorizing the picture, and asked Galanoth, "How much is the bounty?"

"130,000 gold, dead or alive," replied Galanoth, his voice turning steely. "Preferably alive so we can feed him to some dragons." Even Zhoom couldn't maintain a poker face. His eyes widened, and he returned his gaze to the scroll.

"130,000? For one man?" he asked, incredulous. Galanoth simply nodded.

"I... I've fought him before," put in Amirix hesitantly. "When I was younger, and not as experienced. Zhoom..." she hesitated again, then continued. "You're going to need Zixcy's help, and mine and Khadijah's." Khadijah was off god knew where at the moment, probably chasing seagulls.

Zhoom nodded thoughtfully, his eyes scrutinizing Amirix.

"Then let's go get this... Abubu Kafay."

"Wait..." Galanoth put in quickly, before they could leave. "Amirix, are you sure you want to do this? The man is insane as well as dangerous, and-"

"Galanoth, do you really have so little faith in my abilities?" asked Amirix, her eyes beginning to tint purple. But the onyx jewel on her staff began to shine with unusual intensity.

But the huge Dragonslayer just shook his head. "Just be careful," he pressed. "I love you like my little sister, and I don't want anything to happen to you." But Amirix was already leading Zhoom out of Dragesvard, and turned to wave to Galanoth.

"I'll be fine, Galanoth! See you when we've got him!"


	6. Love and Loss Chapter 7

"Over there?"

"Yes."

"Are you going in, or am I?"

"What do you want to do?"

"...I'll go."

Amirix silently crept forward, the sand muffling her little white slippers. The idea was to flush Abubu Kafay out, and the other would kill him. It was most dangerous for the one going in, though, because they didn't know what was waiting behind that small stretch of wall. All they knew for sure was that Kafay was behind that wall, and he was alone. What he might have in terms of a weapon, they didn't know. If he had one, it wasn't heavy. That much they knew.

Amirix went around the other side of the stretch of wall of the ruins, and silently leaped up to the top of the wall. Glancing down, she saw Kafay poised, a kitana raised above his head, watching the end of the wall in their direction. That was where he had been expecting them to show. Amirix looked at where Zhoom was hidden from her perch on top of the wall, and made a quick slicing motion across her neck with a finger, and the meaning was clear to the Ranger; she was going to kill him, because she had the opportunity, or at least knock him out. Kafay couldn't see where Zhoom was hiding, because he was behind the wall. Therefore, he didn't see the short nod that Zhoom sent to Amirix.

Amirix steadied herself silently on the top of the ruin wall, and took her staff. She very, very quietly began to mutter, fast as she could, a chain of words that could not be found in the English tongue. A ball of pure black energy appeared above Kafay's head; but he heard the Mage. He swung at her wildly, and she lost the spell. She fell backwards, only just avoiding the swipe, and Kafay raced for the next wall. Unfortunately for him, it was in Zhoom's path. Zhoom was running towards the bounty, and had almost caught up when Kafay spun a dagger straight behind him.

Straight towards Amirix.

Amirix's breath caught in her chest. Even at the speed things were going, they seemed to slow down. Kafay was turning to continue running. Zhoom's eyes widened at the dagger as it flew towards her. And on the blade, she could see, was some nasty-looking, toxic green stuff. Poison. But she saw the oddest expression on her partner's face; anger, fury, rage, horror, determination, pain, and loss.

And he stepped in front of Amirix.

Straight into the path of the poisoned dagger.

It didn't hurt him badly, as Kafay hadn't exactly aimed. It struck him just to the left of his sternum, and stuck there. Zhoom groaned, then sank to the ground. Even now, he could feel the poison racing through his system. His breaths came faster. Amirix hurriedly scrambled over to his side, bounty forgotten, and muttered some spell. Her hands began to glow with a strange blue light, and she placed them gingerly on his chest from the side. She closed her eyes, and slowly moved her hands around his torso. Suddenly, she spat a few words from a spell, and her eyes snapped open. Her hands returned to their normal color, and she slid her knee under Zhoom's head. His breathing gradually slowed, and the look of agony on his face had been replaced by an irritated one, as though he had an itch he couldn't reach.

And his emerald eyes opened.

"Dammit," he growled, his eyes burning, "This hurts like hell. Tell me you didn't let him get away!"

"Shut up. You need to be still as you can, or you're going to die. I trapped the poison in your left arm for the time being, but it won't hold forever. Can you stand?"

"Of course I can!" he snapped, trying to get up. But he tried too quickly, and fell back. Amirix helped him to his feet, and put his good arm around her shoulders. She slipped an arm around his waist, supporting him, then waved her arm gracefully around them. The desert ruins before them vanished, to be replaced by Serenity's inn in Falconreach.

"Get medical help!" she called urgently to Serenity, laying Zhoom gingerly on his back. He cried out as she did so; the poison was working fast. If it reached his heart, he would die. And the simple barrier she had placed to keep it in his left arm would fail within minutes. "Who should I get?" asked Ash, while Serenity was getting Twilly to contact Lady Celestia.

"Warlic, Artix, Reens," Amirix hissed in a panicked tone. Those were a few of the more accomplished healers that were anywhere close, and they were the few who could get the poison out. "Warlic first. Go!"

She made her hands blue again, and began to try to work over his left shoulder. The poison was about to spread more... Suddenly, a firmer, more powerful set of hands replaced hers, and slowly shifted them to the side, but keeping the blue in the same area. Amirix looked with distressed eyes at the other.

"Warlic," she said softly, her blue eyes wide. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"Of course," the silver-haired Mage replied. "But he will require many days of rest." Amirix shot another worried look at Zhoom, who was close to passed out by this point. His eyes were closed, his chest was rising and falling unevenly, and his fists were clenched. This was obviously causing him a great deal of pain.

_Oh, god, please let him be alright._

Amirix tried to convince herself while Warlic worked his magic that she was worried about Zhoom because he was a good friend; that was all. But a tiny part of her mind doubted her. A good friend? Is that all?

Really?


	7. Love and Loss Chapter 8 to 9

"Amirix? Come on, you need to go home."

The young Mage looked up with weary eyes to see a suprisingly familiar face.

"Tomix? What... what are you doing here? I thought you had to go take care of Greed, and-" Her voice began to rise with distress and shock.

"Shh." Tomix placed a hand gently over Amirix's mouth, his amber-colored eyes solid. "You'll wake him."

Zhoom lay on a bed in the inn, and Amirix had refused to leave her partner's side. "I need to make sure he makes it," she had said.

But now, Amirix shook her head. "He saved me," she murmured, looking at her bounty partner's still form. He had a severe fever, and would toss and turn, but he was fighting off the poison, Warlic had said.

"He has a strong young body," the Blue Mage had told her earlier. "He may fight off the poison yet. But he needs to stay as still as possible for this to happen."

Tomix now pulled Amirix gingerly out of the chair she sat in, and said softly, "You're exhausted, and you need to sleep. Serenity can watch him. If anything happens, she'll call Warlic and you."

Amirix finally allowed herself to be pulled by Tomix out of the inn, throwing another glance back at Zhoom. Would he be alright? She tried to assure herself that he would. Tomix gently got her to her house, which lay just outside of Falconreach, and no sooner was she through the door than she fainted from exhaustion.

TOMIX

Tomix carefully supported the half-functioning Amirix as they approached her house, and then he grunted as she collapsed. But she was not half so heavy as he would have believed- she felt like she weighed only a few pounds. He pulled her gently into his arms, and carried her with ease into the house. He noticed her face seemed to ease as she relaxed, and the worries left it. Not for the first time, Tomix wondered how the pretty young Mage really felt about him. She liked spending time with him, that was obvious, but he didn't really know. But...

Somewhere deep inside himself, Tomix admitted to himself that he did think Amirix was more beautiful than Riadne. And Riadne was always either assuming things, or jumping to conclusions. It bugged him, though he'd never say it out loud.

But Amirix was perfect, because she was always delicate, but tough, and could hold her own in battle. She was gentler, and a little more subtle. Tomix liked her, point was.

And just like he had watched over her 2 days before, he would watch her tonight, and make sure she was okay. ... Just as she had once watched over him. After the Ravenloss War, he'd been severely injured, his Soulweaver glove shattered. His arm had been cursed, and he had been kept out of action for several weeks. He owed her.

Tomix gently removed Amirix's Mage robes, exposing the slim-fitting white gown that was always worn underneath. He worked hard to make sure his Soulweaver gloves didn't tear any of the fabric. He held her in one arm, hanging her Mage's robe on the hook by her bed, then carefully laid her down on her bed. For the first time, he noticed her staff was missing, and wondered briefly what had happened to it. But he put it out of his mind, and covered her with her blankets. Then he easily pulled a chair up, next to her bed, and sat down. He'd be here for the rest of the night, of course.

Tomix jerked awake, sure that he had heard something. Glancing at the window, he saw it was night. And late, by the looks of it. But what had woken him? Without moving his head, Tomix looked around her bedroom. Amirix was still asleep, but she looked more peaceful now... calmer. Khadijah lay in his little dragon bed, snoring softly. But nothing had moved.

And then he heard something else. The slight grunt, usually made when someone got off a horse. Who was here?

Tomix swiftly and silently got to his feet, raising his forearms a little bit in preparation of a fight. He would fight however long he needed to in order to defend Amirix. And then there was a quiet knock at the door.

Tomix opened the door, one of his gloves drew back, but almost immediately dropped it.

"Galanoth?" The huge Dragonslayer nodded, leaning lightly on his spear.

"Hello, Tomix. I came to make sure Amirix was okay. I heard about Zhoom, and wanted to make sure she was alright. We are like siblings, you know," he added mildly. "Why are you here?"

"She passed out," replied Tomix shortly. "I'm here to make sure she's fine. And so far, she is."

"She always works herself to exhaustion, trying to defend Lore."

"Very true. Come on in."

"Thanks."


	8. Love and Loss Chapter 10

_Ch. 8_

AMIRIX

Amirix opened up her eyes to her room, and a dull pink light of dawn shining through the window. And just like last time, Tomix was in a chair next to her bed, arms crossed, head dropped onto his chest, sleeping. She half-smiled, and then remembered Zhoom. A gasp passed through her lips, and she sat up at once. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and rose to her feet. She was quiet, so she didn't wake Tomix. She slid into her Mage's robe, and into her white slippers, and was about to leave when she remembered Tomix. She hesitantly turned, and leaned down so her face was the same level as the other's.

Amirix hesitantly, gingerly placed her right hand on the side of Tomix's face. She ran her thumb with the lightest of touches across his cheek, and her breath caught. He looked so... peaceful when he was asleep. All of his troubles, worries, horrible memories just gone.

But that didn't explain why he spent more time with her than with Riadne. But she couldn't have him because of this; he was with Riadne, and was therefore off-limits. But this didn't stop her from gently pressing her lips against his brow, under the silver hair, for just a heartbeat.

Then Amirix suddenly jerked herself upright, and quietly walked out. On her way out, she saw fresh hoofprints... had Galanoth been here? That was kind of him. She left Khadijah and Tomix in her house, and teleported herself to Serenity's inn. Of course, this was made slightly more difficult by the fact that she had lost her staff when Zhoom had saved her.

She slipped into the inn, the pink light of dawn hitting the windows. She saw Serenity at the front desk, and asked quickly, "Is Zhoom okay? Who's with him?"

"Cysero is with him," the young woman said gently. "He's still got a fever, but it went down during the night."

"Cysero?" Amirix exclaimed, her eyes going wide. "Are you sure that's wise? I mean, not that Cysero isn't great, but he excells in blowing stuff up, and-"

"I felt the same way," interrupted Serenity darkly. "But Warlic promised him he could play with as much dirty laundry as he wanted when they got home if he just got one of us if anything changed."

Amirix sighed, and murmured, "I'll go take over. Make sure he doesn't blow anything up on the way out."

"Will do."

Amirix stepped quietly into the inn room Zhoom was in, and saw that Cysero was gone. Well, that was good, at least. Now she could talk to Zhoom without worries of being overheard. She sat in the chair, and swept his black hair back from his tanned brow to feel his forehead. It did feel a bit hot, but not quite so much as yesterday.

Amirix sighed quietly, and murmured out loud to the figure, "Thank you, Zhoom. I would be dead now if it weren't for you. I... I owe you so much, and I don't think I can ever repay you. But... I don't understand. Why did you step in front of that dagger for me, at the risk of your own life? You knew it was poisoned. I know that sand elves are extremely honorable, and you are. You're one of the most honor-bound people I know, Zhoom. But... you weren't... it wasn't... You didn't _have_ to stop that dagger, much less for me. So why? I know we've known each other for a few years, yes, but all I do is find bounties for you and sometimes help you collect them. Nothing more. And look at me, I'm an absolutely ordinary Mage-in-training. There's nothing special at all about me. So why did you risk your life for mine?"

"Because you are the very future of Lore." The unexpected reply from behind her made her whirl, her black robe swirling out behind her. She relaxed slightly when she saw only a child standing there, a teenager.

She wore burgundy pants that fit her snugly, and dark gray boots that went up to her knees. She also wore a shirt with long sleeves that flared out from her elbow on, but at her wrists were bound with a pair of gold bracelets. It was short, showing her stomach. Over the shirt she had a tight vest that didn't touch her shoulders, only her ribcage and sternum, exposing her midriff. She had large gold hoops as earrings and a crimson sash around her waist. Her eyes were the brightest green that Amirix had ever seen.

"And who are you, to be speaking such things at a young age?"

"My name's Valencia." The young teenager eyed Amirix curiously, then decided she liked what she saw. "And you're Amirix, the Black Mage."

"Pardon?" Amirix was shocked. Only fully-fledged Mages took titles; for example, Warlic was the Blue Mage, and Nythera was the Purple Mage. But she had not earned a title yet!

"I-I-I'm just Amirix, thank you very much," she stuttered. "I am _not _the Black Mage." _Not yet, at least,_ a small voice told her. _But you will be._

_Oh, shut up,_ she thought to the voice irritably. _But what does she know?_

Valencia just threw her a dazzling smile, then darted out. Amirix followed her. She saw the teenager running down the stairs, but when she touched the ground floor she vanished.

"Did you see someone, a young girl run down here?" Amirix demanded of Serenity. But the blonde innkeeper shook her head, bewildered.

"Nobody," she said in confusion.

"I was talking to someone named Valencia," Amirix muttered irritably. "Then she vanished. Sure you didn't see her? She had short purple hair, and was a teenager."

Then Serenity's eyes widened.

"Amirix..."

"What?"

"... Valencia is a grown woman, who has a residence on the_ other side of the world_. She's a trader of rare items, and her hair stretches down to her thighs."

"You mean... did I see someone from the past, maybe?"

Serenity shrugged. "It's possible. You know that the very top floor of the inn has spirits running amok. Perhaps it was one of them."

Amirix wasn't so sure.

_Ch. 9_

TOMIX

Tomix's eyes flew open as he felt the soundless shimmer in the air; someone was teleporting. Glancing at the bed quickly as he leapt to his feet, he saw it was empty. And Galanoth had left after being reassured that Amirix was alright. But Khadijah was still in his little bed.

But... something felt... off. Then he found it.

The dark, heavy feeling that covered his entire body when he had his Soulweaver gloves on had left part of him. His head, his face, and his chest. He touched his hand to his cheek, where it felt lighter, and a special power was brought forth. He saw what had happened to him, but from another angle.

He saw Amirix wake up, then gasp and sit up. She got straight into her Mage's robe, he saw, and then turned to him. Her face had that expression that he liked to see, but saw rarely. That curious, happy look, loving and thoughtful. She put her hand on the side of his face, gently... right where the heavy feeling had lifted. The next part made his mouth fall open slightly; she brushed his hair back from his face, studied him closely, hesitantly, and then... kissed him. Just a little peck.

Then she left, and Tomix opened his eyes.

He looked down at his Soulweaver gloves, confused. Amirix knew he was with Riadne. And she still loved him enough to kiss him. Suddenly, Tomix felt triumphant. Because he knew that she felt about him the way he felt about her. All thoughts of the whining Riadne were forgotten. He suddenly transported himself to Ravenloss, where Riadne was. She looked up when she saw him, and flew to him, and threw her arms around his middle, singing, "Tomix!"

"Riadne," he said guardedly. "Can I talk to you?"

AMIRIX

However, unbeknownst to him, Amirix had teleported down to Ravenloss right then. She saw the two, and hurriedly backed into a shadow. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but there was no way of getting out of Ravenloss without him knowing now.

"Well, Riadne, here's the thing," muttered Tomix uncomfortably. "Lately you've been jumping to conclusions, and being more... _you,_ I guess, than usual. And..." he trailed off, rolling his eyes. "Damn it, I just can't say this any other way." He met Riadne's confused gaze squarely, and growled, "To hell with you, Riadne. You're not right for me, and I think we both know that. It's over." The redhead's face turned murderous, and she shrieked nonstop at him.

"You _jerk! _You thrice-damned son of a jackal! I can't believe I liked you! God, how could I be so _stupid_, trusting an idiot Soulweaver! Gahh!" With a final shriek, Riadne stormed out of the small building, and down Dusk Alley, which would take her to the Weaving Emporium. Amirix did not see Tomix emerge from the building, and after several long minutes she gathered up the courage to go in to see him.

When she saw him, he was sitting in an old, wooden chair, his forehead resting on his clasped hands, leaned forward. His elbows were on his knees, and from her vantage point, his eyes were veiled. Even in his motionless position, Amirix could see the distress in his posture. She knew he knew she was there, but he just didn't look up. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and felt him trembling. He was all tensed up.

Amirix didn't know what to say to Tomix, so she simply stood behind the chair over his hunched form, one hand on his left shoulder. At the moment, she knew, no words would help anything. Quiet companionship, on the other hand, might. She knew this was hard for him, telling Riadne it was over, but she had no idea why he'd just done it.

Then again, there was no way he could know about earlier that morning, when she had kissed him. Amirix just didn't know that anyone had that kind of power, save Warlic or Nythera, perhaps. But certainly not Tomix, right?

"Tomix?" Amirix asked very gently. It was soft, only the keenest of ears could have picked it out. There was no reply. "...Are you alright?"

There was still no answer.

After nearly a half an hour, Tomix hadn't moved a muscle, and neither had Amirix. Eventually, though, Amirix had to leave Ravenloss; she had to make sure Zhoom had healed up correctly. Warlic had probably taken good care of him, but as his bounty partner she wanted to make sure; she felt almost... honor-bound, she thought one could say, to ensure he was fine.

Amirix teleported from Ravenloss to Falconreach, and learned from Serenity that Zhoom had left for the Sandsea earlier. Muttering to herself about this draining her power, Amirix teleported straight to the Sandsea, and once she had stabilized herself she glanced around. She saw a figure attempting to get up on the back of a big bay horse, then slide back down to the sand with a grunt. Shaking her head, Amirix ran lightly over to Zhoom, and gently put her hands under his left elbow. She helped him up, then he jerked his arm away from her.

"That is absolutely the _last_-" he cut off grunting, and a pained expression crossed his face. His hand went involuntarily to the place near his sternum where the dagger had stabbed him. His sharp intake of breath told Amirix that he was clearly in pain. "- the _last_ time I trust you with finding a bounty," he finished, throwing her a dirty look.

"Hold still," she snapped, placing one hand with a feather-light touch on the place where the bandage stretched around his torso, and her hand began to glow bright blue again. She concentrated most of what remained of her magic power on this spot, and she heard Zhoom's breathing suddenly begin to come easier. "Better?" she asked, crossing her arms now.

"Yes," the half-sand-elf replied grudgingly. "But I'm serious, Amirix. That is the _last_ time I trust you to find us a bounty."

"And that's just what you said the last time, when you nearly got yourself killed by undersetimating a bounty. Are you going after him again?"

"Yes, without you."

"Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark."

Zhoom just glared at her with emerald eyes, and she just watched him calmly for a moment. And then her insides began to melt. She couldn't stand against his green gaze, she really couldn't. And she began to wonder who actually could.

"Just be careful," she murmured, turning away. Amirix took a deep breath when her back was to Zhoom, and gracefully waved her arm in front of her. The Sandsea began to melt, and it solidified again into her home. Sighing heavily, she sank into a chair, and Khadijah raced over to her. She tapped his nose, and he growled playfully. She pulled her hand back in surprise for a moment, then realized that Khadijah's voicebox was getting a little bigger. Not to mention his body, as well- he was nearly the size of a small boar now, or a large dog, like a German Shepherd. These were Amirix's favorite type of dog. She tapped Khadijah's nose again now, and he let out a small growl of pleasure.

"What am I going to do, Khadijah?" she asked quietly. There was no reply.


	9. Love and Loss Chapter 11

AMIRIX

Amirix slipped into her house, let Khadijah in, and closed the door behind her on the night sky. It was dark, but she sensed rather than saw that someone was in the main room with her. But the claws on his Soulweaver gloves were glowing, leaving her no doubt as to who it was.

For a few moments, she said nothing. Then she opened her mouth.

But she was not the first to speak.

"Thank you, Amirix," Tomix said quietly.

The young Mage was struck dumb for several seconds, then stammered, "Wh-Why? What exactly did I do?"

"You helped me realize," he murmured, standing and taking the few steps over to Amirix, "What it is that I live for. Before you, Amirix, I thought I had lived life to its fullest extent; going through the training school for Soulweavers, passing the finals, and becoming one of the best. Winning too many battles to count, losing my family... I thought I had seen it all. But I hadn't!" And now, Tomix's voice took on a new, more excited edge. "There was something big that I had been missing out on. Several things, in fact." His amber-colored, eager eyes met Amirix's shocked, sapphire ones. "...I fell in love," he finished gently, touching the tips of his fingertips to the left side of her face. He was gentle, though, and the very tips of the claws on his gloves didn't even touch her.

"Do you love me?" he asked, and suddenly Amirix was hyperaware of how close he was. And she was suddenly glad that there was no light, so that Tomix couldn't see how she blushed. But her eyes, she could _feel_ them turn violet. This happened whenever her power got away from her...

And briefly, she thought about how she had felt about Tomix over the past few years that she'd known him. When she'd fallen, he'd helped her up. When she failed, he encouraged her to succeed. And in the recent battles of Ravenloss, he had done all in his power to make sure she remained safe, whether Riadne had been there or not. A few months ago, when she had fallen into a pit of depression, he had pulled her back out again. He had helped her heal.

And then she knew her answer.

"I do," she breathed, dropping her staff and placing both her hands on the sides of his face. His skin was more or less the same temperature as hers, perhaps a touch colder. And he leaned his head down to meet hers, and their lips met. Amirix wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching up to keep their lips locked. Tomix placed his arms around her waist, keeping his Soulweaver claws away from her so as not to scratch her.

And the kiss continued.

KHADIJAH

Khadijah watched the passionately kissing couple for a moment with amusement, then shouldered his way through the door, left ajar, that led outside. He sat outside, in the cool, fresh night air, his now long, thin spiked tail wrapped partially around his legs. His white horns extended parallel down his back as he pointed his nose at the sky, looking up at the stars.

_One day_, he thought, feeling a sense of pride and future self-fulfillment, _I will be as tall as those stars. Just like my mom and dad. They were _huge,_ and I'm going to be even taller!_ _I'm going to serve Amirix even better than any dragon ever served a Dragonlord!_

ZHOOM

Zhoom silently froze, on his hands and feet. His arms were spread wide, giving him a stable surface, and his legs were bent as far as they would go, and spread even wider. In short, he was staying as low as he possibly could to the ground while being ready to jump up to his feet to fend off a sudden attack.

And now, Abubu Kafay stood, looking around uncertainly, not 2 meters away from him. And he still didn't see Zhoom.

But perhaps that was because he was nearly covered by layer upon layer of sand... camoflauge, one could say. Orion, however, was picketed nearly a mile away, behind a sand dune. The scruffy man turned away again, and continued walking. Zhoom was aware that there was a split second in which to act. If he didn't act on that one second, the chance to capture this bounty would be lost, and who knew when Zhoom may get another chance? That one second could be the turning point in any quest.

And here it was.

Zhoom leapt nearly silently at the man, and with the hilt of a dagger clubbed it into his head. Kafay's eyes rolled back in his head and he sank to the sand, unconcious. Zhoom mercilessly reached down and grabbed the back of his collar, and began dragging him back across the sand... for the whole mile back to Orion.

First, the Ranger tied his hands together in front of him with rope, and then tied the other end to his saddle.

"Hey," growled Zhoom, "Wake up." He woke Kafay with a sharp kick to his side, and the man awoke with a sharp gasp. "Welcome back to the living, Abubu Kafay. Hope you like being tortured to death."

The ratlike man shivered, and Zhoom mercilessly hauled him to his feet. "You'd better keep up, because if you fall I'm not going to stop," he said acidly.

Next, he leaped clear into his saddle from the sand, and bumped his heels against Orion's sides. The horse was spurred into a fast trot, and Abubu Kafay yelped as he was nearly jerked off his feet, and started running as fast as he could to keep up. Of course, this kind of speed didn't amount to a great deal, and after a few miles Zhoom began to wonder if it was worth knocking him out and pulling him onto the saddle so he could collect his bounty faster..._ It would almost certainly be worth it, _he thought. _Dammit. If I do, and he wakes up, and I'll have to hit him again... and again... and again... Damn! It'd be so goddamn annoying..._ _Not sure I could put up with that._

Kafay began to chatter and beg, wailing and trying to interest Zhoom with offers of more money.

"I can give you more than you're paid to bring me back. Just name your price! Oh, god, please just let me go! I'll turn good, I'll never step out of line again, I will do whatever you want! Just get these ropes off me! Please!"

Grimacing, Zhoom kept Orion at a steady, quick, trot, and reflected that it would be a long, long ride back to Dragesvard. But then, something could always go wrong in the desert. A broken rope, for instance, or a captive's escape. Sighing exasperatedly over the man's chattering and begging, Zhoom drew his scimitar and smacked the flat of the blade into Kafay's temple. His eyes rolled up in his head again, and for the second time that day he slumped. Zhoom's muscular arm caught him across the middle before he hit the sand, and dumped him behind the saddle. He gagged him, then moved his hands behind his back.

"Let's get out of here, Orion," he muttered, drumming his horse's sides with his bare heels.


	10. Love and Loss Chapter 12

Amirix flicked her wrist, sending the blindingly bright ball of energy spinning at breakneck speed towards the final fire elemental. The ice energy struck the living fire square on the green jewel in the center of its head, and it dissapated instantly.

"Done," she muttered in satisfaction. She winced, though, turning to leave the magma cave, as a severe burn she had recieved twinged. The skin was hot and tough, as well as tender to the touch. Amirix let out a mixed stream of curses and mutterings, leaning against one of the rough walls of the cave, and called, "Khadijah!" Her little black dragon came running over, a growlish purr in his throat, and saw her calf. He bumped his nose against it immediately, and it healed over a bit. "Thank you," she breathed, examining it. It had healed a great deal, but if she twisted it wrong it would break open again. At this age, Khadijah could only do so much.

"Let's go," she breathed, walking out with her dragon.

As she exited the fire cave, her thoughts again returned to that night a few days before, with Tomix. Her face flooded with heat that had nothing to do with the fire cave as she remembered that night... her arms around his neck, stroking his silver hair, his metal gloves gently pressed into the small of her back, so lightly she could scarcely tell they were there. And then her, encircled by his muscled arms, pressing into his chest, resting her head against him. Him throwing her hood back, and her white hair shining slightly in the moonlight. A smile curved her perfect lips as she thought about that night.

She walked down the slightly worn path, heading South back down to Warlic's; she had managed to retrieve the Fire Yarn he'd wanted, although exactly why he wanted it was a mystery to her. She saw his red tent at the base of the hill, and walked a little bit faster.

"Here you go," Amirix said cheerfully, handing him the small bag. She avoided touching the bottom, as it was red hot.

"Thank you, Amirix," replied the Blue Mage, smiling slightly. He stowed the bag inside his robes as though it were not blisteringly hot, and Amirix remembered that she had wanted to ask him something.

"Hey, Warlic..."

"Yes, Amirix, is there something I can help you with?"

"Well... I was wondering, could you, maybe... um... could... Could you maybe tell me my... my future?"

Warlic looked surprised, then amused. "Of course." Flicking his wrist, he raised his large, glowing orb, and studied it for a second. Then he murmured something that Amirix couldn't hear, and it began to glow even brighter, throwing heavy shadows on his face. "Interesting," he said softly, his violet eyes going slightly wider. After another few minutes, he glanced up at Amirix, the orb's glow softening and settling into the crook of one of his arms. He smiled.

"I see you becoming the greatest adventurer and hero of Lore... and staying with and loving no-one." Warlic knew that Amirix wanted to know her... _romantic_ future, and this was what he answered.

"Thanks," she said, making sure her hood was over her white braided bun, then murmured, "Come on, Khadijah." With her black-and-white dragon, she walked back towards the portal at the edge of the woods, and vanished into it. Warlic let out a soft sigh, glad that Amirix had believed him so readily. He had told the young Mage what she wanted to hear, no more. What he had seen was entirely different.

He had seen Amirix in a wildflower meadow, by a lake, loving and loved by a young man with black hair. He was very tall, and thin, and wore a black suit that came up to his jawline, embroidered with gold. His eyes were a clear, violent shade of purple...

"I found another bounty for you, wanted dead..."

"It'd better not be in Dragesvard, and you'd better not be going."

"Relax, Ranger, I'm going to be busy. You can handle this one by yourself."

"Hmph. How much?"

"100 grand. I know, not much, but the next highest was only 30 grand."

Zhoom shrugged, taking the scroll from Amirix's hand, and scanning it quickly. The black-robed Mage noticed his emerald eyes suddenly stop, and narrow.

"Yes, it's him," she said exasperatedly, forestalling his reply.

"But... really?" For almost the first time, Amirix heard uncertainty in Zhoom's voice. His emerald gaze returned to the scroll, and he sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," he muttered under his breath, then raised his voice. "With this guy... grr... Amirix, I'm... I know you said you were going to be busy, but... I'm going to need some help on this. Will... will you come with me?"

Amirix was a little surprised, but the knowledge that if the day went bad, Tomix would still be at home waiting for her lifted her spirits. Then she realized that Zhoom was still waiting for an answer.

"Why not?" she replied, smiling. "When I said I was going to be 'busy', I was going to try and search for the Nature Orb, which seems to be missing. One or two more days can't hurt."

"Thanks," grumbled the Ranger, rolling up the scroll again and handing it back to her. "Still can't believe we've got to hunt down... I mean, really? What did he do wrong?"

"Zhoom, don't tell me you're starting to care for the bounties," said Amirix in mock severity and shock, grinning now.

"No!" exclaimed the black-haired man, glancing at her, annoyed. He didn't snap at her like he used to, though, Amirix noticed. He appeared to have softened up around her. But when it came to a bounty, he didn't hold back. Was it just her that he was a little softer around?

"Ah, well. It shouldn't be hard for you, killing Jack. You always did hate him, right?" she asked casually, heading off towards the other horse that was tethered next to Orion.

"Eh, yes, but he... ah, screw it. No, it won't be hard killing him. I hate him."

"Well, hit him harder than usual," advised Amirix, mounting easily. She sat sidesaddle, and she had to ride a horse because Zhoom wouldn't be able to keep pace with her otherwise.

Zhoom mounted Orion, and admitted, "True, I might. Let's go."


	11. Love and Loss Chapter 13 to 14

CHAPTER 13~

Amirix flicked her wrist, sending the blindingly bright ball of energy spinning at breakneck speed towards the final fire elemental. The ice energy struck the living fire square on the green jewel in the center of its head, and it dissapated instantly.

"Done," she muttered in satisfaction. She winced, though, turning to leave the magma cave, as a severe burn she had recieved twinged. The skin was hot and tough, as well as tender to the touch. Amirix let out a mixed stream of curses and mutterings, leaning against one of the rough walls of the cave, and called, "Khadijah!" Her little black dragon came running over, a growlish purr in his throat, and saw her calf. He bumped his nose against it immediately, and it healed over a bit. "Thank you," she breathed, examining it. It had healed a great deal, but if she twisted it wrong it would break open again. At this age, Khadijah could only do so much.

"Let's go," she breathed, walking out with her dragon.

As she exited the fire cave, her thoughts again returned to that night a few days before, with Tomix. Her face flooded with heat that had nothing to do with the fire cave as she remembered that night... her arms around his neck, stroking his silver hair, his metal gloves gently pressed into the small of her back, so lightly she could scarcely tell they were there. And then her, encircled by his muscled arms, pressing into his chest, resting her head against him. Him throwing her hood back, and her white hair shining slightly in the moonlight. A smile curved her perfect lips as she thought about that night.

She walked down the slightly worn path, heading South back down to Warlic's; she had managed to retrieve the Fire Yarn he'd wanted, although exactly why he wanted it was a mystery to her. She saw his red tent at the base of the hill, and walked a little bit faster.

"Here you go," Amirix said cheerfully, handing him the small bag. She avoided touching the bottom, as it was red hot.

"Thank you, Amirix," replied the Blue Mage, smiling slightly. He stowed the bag inside his robes as though it were not blisteringly hot, and Amirix remembered that she had wanted to ask him something.

"Hey, Warlic..."

"Yes, Amirix, is there something I can help you with?"

"Well... I was wondering, could you, maybe... um... could... Could you maybe tell me my... my future?"

Warlic looked surprised, then amused. "Of course." Flicking his wrist, he raised his large, glowing orb, and studied it for a second. Then he murmured something that Amirix couldn't hear, and it began to glow even brighter, throwing heavy shadows on his face. "Interesting," he said softly, his violet eyes going slightly wider. After another few minutes, he glanced up at Amirix, the orb's glow softening and settling into the crook of one of his arms. He smiled.

"I see you becoming the greatest adventurer and hero of Lore... and staying with and loving no-one." Warlic knew that Amirix wanted to know her... _romantic_ future, and this was what he answered.

"Thanks," she said, making sure her hood was over her white braided bun, then murmured, "Come on, Khadijah." With her black-and-white dragon, she walked back towards the portal at the edge of the woods, and vanished into it. Warlic let out a soft sigh, glad that Amirix had believed him so readily. He had told the young Mage what she wanted to hear, no more. What he had seen was entirely different.

He had seen Amirix in a wildflower meadow, by a lake, loving and loved by a young man with black hair. He was very tall, and thin, and wore a black suit that came up to his jawline, embroidered with gold. His eyes were a clear, violent shade of purple...

"I found another bounty for you, wanted dead..."

"It'd better not be in Dragesvard, and you'd better not be going."

"Relax, Ranger, I'm going to be busy. You can handle this one by yourself."

"Hmph. How much?"

"100 grand. I know, not much, but the next highest was only 30 grand."

Zhoom shrugged, taking the scroll from Amirix's hand, and scanning it quickly. The black-robed Mage noticed his emerald eyes suddenly stop, and narrow.

"Yes, it's him," she said exasperatedly, forestalling his reply.

"But... really?" For almost the first time, Amirix heard uncertainty in Zhoom's voice. His emerald gaze returned to the scroll, and he sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," he muttered under his breath, then raised his voice. "With this guy... grr... Amirix, I'm... I know you said you were going to be busy, but... I'm going to need some help on this. Will... will you come with me?"

Amirix was a little surprised, but the knowledge that if the day went bad, Tomix would still be at home waiting for her lifted her spirits. Then she realized that Zhoom was still waiting for an answer.

"Why not?" she replied, smiling. "When I said I was going to be 'busy', I was going to try and search for the Nature Orb, which seems to be missing. One or two more days can't hurt."

"Thanks," grumbled the Ranger, rolling up the scroll again and handing it back to her. "Still can't believe we've got to hunt down... I mean, really? What did he do wrong?"

"Zhoom, don't tell me you're starting to care for the bounties," said Amirix in mock severity and shock, grinning now.

"No!" exclaimed the black-haired man, glancing at her, annoyed. He didn't snap at her like he used to, though, Amirix noticed. He appeared to have softened up around her. But when it came to a bounty, he didn't hold back. Was it just her that he was a little softer around?

"Ah, well. It shouldn't be hard for you, killing Jack. You always did hate him, right?" she asked casually, heading off towards the other horse that was tethered next to Orion.

"Eh, yes, but he... ah, screw it. No, it won't be hard killing him. I hate him."

"Well, hit him harder than usual," advised Amirix, mounting easily. She sat sidesaddle, and she had to ride a horse because Zhoom wouldn't be able to keep pace with her otherwise.

Zhoom mounted Orion, and admitted, "True, I might. Let's go."

CHAPTER 14~

Amirix shot a sideways glance at Zhoom from the saddle. He was riding normally, back straight, eyes focused on the road ahead, the tattoos under his eyes and on his arm all too visible in the harsh sunlight of the Sandsea. From the last bounty they had done, she was still greatly confused. She still remembered the expression on Zhoom's face when he stepped into the path of the poisioned dagger; rage, loss, determination... all of the things that could drive a man to sacrifice himself for another.

But for her?

She was still uncertain, and then shook her head slightly. They continued riding until sunset, when they came upon some ruins.

"We should camp here for the night," Zhoom said to Amirix, gesturing at a relatively sheltered wall. Amirix felt a sudden jolt of fear as she realized that this was the site of the... incident... last time. While Amirix settled the horses and fed and tethered them for the night, Zhoom set up the tents, and lay out the bedrolls. When Amirix sat gracefully on hers, she noticed it felt softer than normal. Checking under it, she saw there was an extra blanket under it... one of Zhoom's own. She was touched by her partner's unspoken gesture of care, and smiled.

That night, Amirix was unable to sleep. She turned on her side, and found herself facing Zhoom. He was asleep, and the Mage briefly envied him. What she would have given to escape reality, even for just a couple hours... She noticed idly that all of the fierce expressions, the rough temperment, it all seemed to vanish when he slept... his face almost seemed... soft.

Rolling on her back again, she tried to figure him out. He had seemed to treat her no different than anyone else at first; but that was to be expected. And he'd taken bounties she'd found, trusting her more and more with them. Then... when Abubu Kafay had thrown that dagger at her, Zhoom had thrown himself in front of her, when he knew it would be poisioned. He had made sure she was not hurt. And then giving her a stronger horse than he himself rode, a smoother horse. Now, forsaking his blanket to make sure she was more comfortable.

Amirix glanced at Zhoom again, confusion speaking words in her eyes. And it was then the two sides of her separated.

_He loves me,_ one side thought joyously. _Zhoom loves me. I never thought this day would come._

_Are you stupid?_ her other side snapped. _You love TOMIX. Tomix loves YOU. If you do anything with Zhoom now, you'll hurt him—hurt them both—beyond all imagining._

_Yes,_ argued the Pro-Zhoom side, _But this is bigger. Zhoom has never shown any affection towards me until now. And... if I'm honest with myself, before Tomix left Riadne, this was exactly what I hoped for._

Tomix's side growled at the Zhoom side. _Would you really hurt either of them like that? Yes, Zhoom loves you. But you cannot return that love. Tomix is in love with you, _deeply _in love with you. Zhoom does not know this. And Tomix does not know about your... situation with Zhoom. Meaning you should leave now!_

_And if I leave now,_ the Zhoom side replied curtly, _Then Zhoom will wonder where I've gone in the morning. I've got to at least stay the night. And if I leave in the morning, he'll be hurt that I left him in a bounty hunt like this and be hurt and wonder why. Besides, he doesn't even know about Tomix and I being together! He has no idea! And Tomix doesn't even know that I know Zhoom!_

Amirix's two sides battled it out, and she remained awake. Her senses were heightened to their peak, and she was suddenly hyperaware that Zhoom was barely an arm's length from her. She felt an overwhelming urge to reach over and stroke his face, brush that black hair out of his face...

Zhoom's side of her mind won, and the Tomix side was pushed away. Tomix would never know. What he didn't know, in this case, wouldn't hurt him. The young woman tentatively reached over the distance with one slim hand, the sleeve of her robe falling back to her elbow. She stopped an inch from his face, her brow troubled, then with her index finger, brushed the black hair out of his eyes.

Suddenly, his hand shot up and grabbed her around the wrist. Amirix didn't move, didn't struggle. After the initial moment of shock, she realized this was a reaction for him. His emerald-colored eyes flew open, staring straight into hers, and for a moment his gaze was confused. Then understanding entered them, and he instantly released her hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. They were so quiet, it was hard to make out.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have," Amirix breathed, lowering her gaze.

"No, it wasn't your fault."

"There was no mistake made."

"... Are you sure about that?" Zhoom looked up at Amirix, his eyes troubled. "Are... are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"Positive," breathed Amirix, her sapphire-colored eyes beginning to tint purple around the edges. She tentatively moved her hand forward again, and with her fingertips stroked the side of his face, running from the edge of the tattoos under his eyes all the way to his chin. And then she did it again. Zhoom shivered lightly, his eyes going almost half-closed.

"You can't imagine how that feels," he sighed, his eyes opening again. The deep, emerald green soothed any calm, as well as distracting Amirix. She moved her hand so that her whole hand was against the side of his face, cupping it ever so gently. She curiously ran her thumb very lightly over his lower lip, wondering if it was as soft as it seemed. It was softer. And she smiled.

She edged a little closer to Zhoom, her eyes studying his face intently. Zhoom smelled the slight sweet spice scent that surrounded Amirix, and he melted. Amirix, still laying on her side, gently lifted one of Zhoom's muscular arms, and studied the tattooing on it. Black markings. She ran her fingertips along them curiously, wondering exactly when he had gotten them, and then smiled again, tiredly. For the first time that night, she felt sleepy.

Amirix looked back up at Zhoom's emerald gaze, and inched closer, curling up against his chest. She felt two muscular arms snake around her, constricting her like iron. But she was left plenty of room to move. Instead of moving away, she snuggled even closer to his defined, muscled chest, covered by a thin red shirt, as always. It clung lightly to him, defining the abs under it with a heartbreaking accuracy. Amirix gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly as she felt another wave of desire run through her, like a current of electricity.

_No,_ her Tomix side murmured softly. _Don't do this. If Tomix finds out, all you're going to do is hurt him. _But the words held no weight. Amirix just melted as Zhoom gingerly placed his head over hers, and breathed in her sweet smell.

And in this way, the Mage drifted off to a soft, easy sleep.

Amirix opened her eyes. It was dawn, she saw, and the heat of the day had not yet struck. She was confused as to why she was in Zhoom's arms- at first. And then all the memories of the previous night came back to her, and her breath caught in her throat. She wondered in horror why she hadn't listened to the Tomix side of her mind the night before, and gently slipped out of the Ranger's embrace. She kneeled on the cool sand in the tent, and crawled outside to the rugged, beautiful Sandsea, colored pink in the light of dawn. She sank to the sand just outside of the ruin, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Amirix trembled, but not with fear.

_Oh, Lore, what have I done? _she asked herself, begging for an answer. She found none. A single, diamond tear slipped down her tanned cheek, and her sapphire eyes closed. She hated herself. _I'm a bad person,_ she whispered in her head. _I should never have done this, I should never have come on this mission, I should have known better, I should-_

Her train of thought was cut off as she felt a pair of muscular arms encircle her, and heard a soft voice that she loved, and yet had caused her so much mental pain.

"You're shaking. What's wrong?" murmured Zhoom softly. Amirix did not turn to face him, and nor did she answer, but the tear glistening on her cheek told the whole story. He leaned to the side, so he could study her face, and saw the little drop of saltwater. His eyes narrowed, and Amirix felt his arms tighten fractionally. Then he reached to her face with a finger, and while barely touching her, wiped it away.

"We'll go back," he said. His voice was calm, but his eyes were expressionless. Amirix knew that Zhoom was doing what she wanted; not asking.

"No, we'll keep on," she said, sniffling. "You shouldn't abandon this just because of me."

"If we did continue, I'd never be able to focus. Not the way things are going now," Zhoom said wryly. _Translation,_ Amirix thought, _Not while you're in harm's way._

"Very well," she sighed. Zhoom stood, pulling her with him, and gently wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I'll pack everything up," he said gently, hesitating before planting a small kiss on her forehead. Amirix trembled, sniffling, imagining Tomix and the world of hurt she would cause him if he ever found out.

Then she went off to prepare the horses as though nothing was wrong.


	12. Love and Loss Chapter 15

When they returned to the village, she returned the horse's reins to Zhoom, and without a word to him transported herself home. She cautiously entered her little house, and glanced around the main room quickly. If Tomix wasn't in the main room when she got home, he wasn't here. She let out a pent-up breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and stepped inside.

"Lore, what have I done," she whispered to the empty house. She sat on a couch, tear after tear slipping silently down her cheeks. Amirix cried herself out until nearly dusk, when she readied for bed. Tomix would be home soon, and she had to look presentable.

When he returned from battling Greed in Ravenloss, he greeted her with a deep kiss, as always. This time, Amirix clung to him for a few moments more, needing comfort from what she had done.

"Love, what's wrong?" murmured Tomix, gingerly lifting her chin with a claw from his Soulweaver gloves. "You're not yourself." She buried her face in his shirt before answering.

"Just had a rough day," she mumbled into his chest. "Maybe yours was better than mine."

"I doubt that," he replied darkly. "Greed has hidden the Bolt Key, and I can't seem to find it."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, turning her face so one side was resting against Tomix's chest, and her arms wrapped around his neck. His muscular arms gently encircled her waist, and he held her close.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her hair.

"I love you too," she whimpered, her voice breaking on the last word. And then she was crying again, her tears soaking into his coat, and he was stroking her, murmuring words of comfort, softly whispering to her.

Amirix opened her eyes. For the second morning in a row, she found herself in the arms of a man she loved. But this time, it was Tomix. She let a few tears fall again, thinking about how much damage she'd done. Then she got up, dressed quickly, and left Khadijah there. She also left a note, saying she had gone to maybe do a few quests, kill a few monsters, etc. Then she left for a scorched forest that she knew well. She planned to do nothing but distract herself by killing monsters until she dropped, and nothing was going to stop her.

She easily downed a Bone Fire and a Fire Elemental, and then a pair of Lava Davers. She was furious with herself, and took out her anger on the monsters. And then she came across the biggest challenge of all...

"A Bassault," she stated softly to herself. She knew that her magic power was running low, but her anger made her reckless. These things were powerful, though, and after a long fight Amirix was forced to give ground.

_Dammit!_ she thought, now murderously angry. _I can't believe this! I'm losing?_

But the Bassault was indeed gaining ground on Amirix. She hadn't even said goodbye to Zhoom or Tomix. To lose to a monster was to die, everyone knew that.

And she was going to die.

Abruptly, Amirix was angry. No, beyond angry, she was furious. Her eyes shone purple, and she launched a fresh attack on the huge Elemental. But she could do no more damage, the thing was barely hurt! Suddenly, the thing hit at her, knocking her to the ground and severely burning her.

Amirix saw the monster raise one of its huge, magma-and-hot rock fists in preparation for the final blow, and so many things happened in a second.

She realized that she still had her whole life ahead of her, so much left to do. She could have beeen the savior of Lore, if she would have lived. She had a mental image of Tomix and Zhoom both dressed in black at the funeral... it would be closed-coffin, of course. And Khadijah would be all alone... Tomix would become withdrawn again, and Zhoom would snap at anyone or anything... just like he had been before Amirix had worked her inadvertent magic on him.

And in that moment, Amirix just accepted her oncoming death. There was nothing she could do. Her leg was broken, she had many scrapes and burns, and a severe burn on her right shoulder. Her wrist had been sprained, she was deaf and bleeding from her right ear, and had been struck hard in her left temple. She had a long, bleeding gash stretching from her left hip to the right side of the middle of her ribcage. She was done. She closed her eyes, determined to find inner peace before she drifted into the void. But she felt a strange presence as the Bassault roared its victory to the sky for a second, before lowering its fist.

Opening her eyes, Amirix saw that tall, slim young man with black hair and violet eyes. He smiled, a truly heartbreaking smile, and Amirix knew him. Death.

And then she was swept out of the way at the last second, by a pair of muscular arms. She was cradled against a chest as though she weighed no more than 10 pounds. Looking up feebly, she recognized Zhoom, his face screwed up with concentration as he held her in his arms, jumping around to avoid getting crushed by the Bassault. He landed a distance away, and gingerly set her on her feet. He kept an arm around her waist to keep her up, though. And then Tomix stepped in.

"Amirix!" he gasped. "Are you alright?" Then the Soulweaver's amber gaze fell on Zhoom, the way he held Amirix, the way he looked at her. He made the connection. "Get away from her!" he spat, sweeping her away from his grasp. Amirix could not move, she was just moved from one place to another like a ragdoll.

"I saved her!" snapped Zhoom, pulling her gently back towards him.

The two continued to hurl words of hate and fury at each other, and Amirix was dazed, confused, asleep on her feet. And all the while, she remained wounded, and continued to bleed heavily. She couldn't take her confused sapphire eyes off the tall, slim figure dressed in black that remained at the edge of her vision; Death.

And then both men dropped Amirix, and while Tomix raised his Soulweaver claws, Zhoom raised a poison arrow, ready on the bowstring. The young Mage was suddenly jerked back to reality, and stood quickly as they prepared to fire at one another.

"No!" she cried, running to get between them before they could attack each other. "Don't-!"

She felt yet another piercing pain, from both her back and her stomach. She looked down, numb, at her midsection. There were two small holes there. A lilac, transparent chain went through her one way, coming from Tomix. And a poison arrow, coming from Zhoom, heading for Tomix. Both had gone clean through. She stared numbly at them both for a second, and then her knees buckled.

But the very next thing she knew, Amirix was being lifted up, and someone was holding her hands. She opened her eyes, and was looking into the face of a man so handsome, so devastatingly beautiful, that she could hardly tear her eyes away from his face. Hardly. She glanced down, and froze. Her battered, bloody body lay at her feet, blue eyes open, staring at nothing. Tomix and Zhoom were still, each wordlessly just staring at the beautiful woman they had both loved. Then, slowly, Tomix sank to his knees, his hands clenched in his hair as though to rip it out by the roots. Zhoom just took a deep, shuddering breath, and closed his eyes. He placed one hand over his face, and she could see he was shaking. But whether with rage, shock, or loss she didn't know. Amirix looked back to Death, confused.

"Why?" she asked. But the single word sounded like the sighing of the wind, and was lost to human ears.

"It was not my decision," Death replied, studying her intently with deep violet pools, crossed over by black locks of hair. His voice made her want him even more. "I have waited a long time for you, Amirix Loresdaughter."

"What do I do now?"

"Come with me, and depart this dimension. You would be lost here, lost to all. None would see you save the powerful magic-users."

"Warlic," she gasped. She paused, thinking for a moment, then continued. "I will go with you," Amirix murmured hesitantly, "But there is somebody I must talk to first."

Death simply nodded, and when she blinked she was in the field where Warlic stayed. She nodded to Death, and ran to the red tent.

"Warlic!" she cried, but her voice once again sounded like nature- this time, the bubbling brook that ran nearby. A silver-haired head popped out of the tent, looking around in confusion. "Warlic, I need to talk to you."

Glancing around, Warlic saw the transparent figure of Amirix.

"Amirix! What... No. I know what has transpired." he murmured, looking down, leaning on his staff. Amirix reguarded the Blue Mage thoughtfully, and asked a simple question that was not so easily answered.

"Warlic... when you saw my future, who did you see me with?"

"...I..." Warlic hesitated, watching her warily. "I lied to you, Amirix. If I had told you what I truly saw, it would have turned out different. As it was, I told you what you wanted to hear right then."

"But what did you see?"

"...Are you truly sure you wish to know this?"

"I am."

"... I saw you with a young man, tall, and with black hair. He had the strangest violet eyes, and the two of you were in a light place. It was a simple meadow, with many wildflowers, and a lake nearby. That is what I saw."

"Death," breathed Amirix sadly. "Thank you, Warlic."

"Fare thee well, Amirix Loresdaughter."

Amirix returned to Death, head hung, and he gently touched her face. And then, as equals, they departed this life.


	13. Author's Note

**MID-ALMOST-END-STORY AUTHOR'S NOTE**

This is as the title says: A mid-almost-end-story author's note. ^^

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who read this far. I am grateful that you found my story good enough to continue reading so far into it, and I promise you that there is only one chapter left. And it's good! By my standards, at least.

Secondly, I've been recently thinking as I write this story... what would happen if Amirix's life had gone in a completely different direction? What if she had never met Zhoom or Tomix at all? What direction would her life have gone, what sort of things would she have done? What would she have learned?

Therefore, I have decided to make a parallel story to this, after this one is over. It is set a few months before she met Zhoom OR Tomix. She is still the same age, but has not quite learned a few skills, such as transporting or healing.

Now to tackle the next subject. If you like this story, I beg you to make it a favorite or add a comment. I- and any reasonable author- enjoys and is happy knowing that their work has been evaluated and appreciated. :3

Again, thank you to readers who have read this far. *does Japanese-style bow*

If you have a story that you'd like me to do a Oneshot on, please do not hesitate to PM me and say so. I would be happy to do my best on these. Keep in mind, I WLL NOT do above T ratings, at least not at my current level. I don't feel comfortable with it. I have done Oneshots before, and enjoy them.

And for the last time (hopefully), I thank you readers who have had the patience to put up with me and read my story this far. ^^


	14. Love and Loss Chapter 16

"So, what is your name?"

The handsome, perfect black-haired man looked at her briefly, and replied, "Death."

But Amirix persisted. "No, I mean your _real_ name. Death can't be your name. You had to start with something else." There was silence for a moment, then he began to speak. But his voice was quiet, low, as though he didn't want to be overheard.

"You're right. I began my life, many, many centuries ago, with a different name." Amirix waited patiently for Death, the tall, handsome, dark stranger, to reveal some small part of his past. "My name... used to be Kysero. Kysero Aronsson. I... I was destined to be the leader of our small village. But I had been hand-picked, and was destined to be... well, your people would call me the Grim Reaper." Amirix stared at Kysero, transfixed. His past had been much the same as hers, save that she had left her home willingly, not wanting to be put in a place of power. "And what of you? I recall that you changed your name, but not what it was."

Amirix took a second to remember. So many years ago, she had changed it, and now answered to Amirix Loresdaughter.

"I think... it was... Irya Meghansdaughter."

"Irya... I like that name."

"You're the first one to."

"I find that hard to believe."

"But it's true. Although I would like to keep the name Amirix."

"We're here," said Kysero briefly, gesturing at the small light at the end of the tunnel they had been traversing.

Amirix hesitated, the brightness blinding her. She knew not what lay ahead.

"It's okay," whispered Kysero, gently taking her hand. She let him pull her along, and she blinked when she emerged with the perfect figure out into the impossibly bright sunlight. But when her eyes adjusted, she gasped.

"It's..." she was at a loss for words. She took another step forward, keeping her fingers laced into Kysero's. She didn't want to let him go. He was the last vestige of memory she had left from her old life.

The perfect meadow before her was laced with colorful wildflowers of blue, red, pink, gold and orange. She sank to her knees, pulling Kysero with her. She reached forward, picking a small, violet, six-petal star-shaped flower.

"This one is the color of your eyes," she breathed, leaning her head into his chest. And Amirix reflected on all that had happened to her. She had left her ungrateful farm village, and become a well-known Mage, the Black Mage. She had fallen in love not once, but twice. And now she was in love with Death, in a place that only they knew about. And she was dead.

So much had happened in her short life. Lifting her chin, Kysero gently pressed his cool lips to Amirix's, leaning his head down slightly to keep their lips together. He moved his arms, continuing the kiss, so that they were wrapped around her torso, around her upper arms as it were. His long arms seemed to be unbelievably strong, though they did not sport large muscles as Zhoom's or Tomix's did. Amirix reached up with her slim hands, placing one on each side of Kysero's face. She remained on her knees, never wanting this to end. Kysero with her, wrapped together... forever.


	15. In the other Direction

_**HEY, READERS**_

_Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if Amirix had fallen for Zhoom instead of Tomix. What do you think would have happened?_

_This continues from the morning when Amirix and Zhoom were after that second bounty, and Amirix had stopped Zhoom from abandoning the mission._

_**Enjoy!**_

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Do you want to go first, or will I?"

"Whatever you like, Amirix."

"... I'll go."

"Be careful."

"Will do."

Amirix slid forward over the sand, her white slippers making no sound. She held her staff parallel to her body, crouched low, ready to move in any direction. Her white braids gleamed in the sunlight, and she kept herself low to the ground to avoid detection from this... Jack. Zhoom hated him, she knew, but he did what she wanted. There he was, she realized. Sitting on the back of a horse at the rise, turning to look back. Hissing a spell under her breath, she shot an orb of black energy straight at Jack's head. He slipped from his horse, and hit the sand without moving.

"Got him!" called Amirix to Zhoom, standing and waving to him. The pair walked up the rise, and Amirix caught the now-loose horse. Zhoom went up to Jack, and flipped him over to check if he was dead. Suddenly, the man shoved a crossbow bolt deep into the left side of Zhoom's chest, then died. Zhoom gave a strangled grunt, falling backwards into the sand.

"Zhoom!" cried Amirix, dropping the reins and running over as fast as she could manage to her lover. She sank to her knees at his side, and slid his head onto her knees. She gently drew his hair out of his eyes, her breath catching at his pained expression.

"Zhoom..." she whispered, her sapphire eyes wide with horror.

"I-I'll be fi-" he cut off, coughing violently. A thin trickle of blood slipped down the corner of his mouth. "-fine," he finished, wincing.

"Don't talk," Amirix whispered, using the hem of the sleeve of her Mage's robe to wipe away the blood. She swiftly drew the bolt out, and examined the tip closely. It was not poisioned, much to her relief. But it had hit Zhoom in a vital area, and he was losing blood fast. What if it had struck his heart?...

She didn't want to think about that.

She gingerly placed her hands together over the place where the bolt had been stuck, and her hands began to glow a soft blue. She ran then gently over the wound, feeling her magic power drain slowly as she worked to find what was wrong. The sun began to sink, and the sky turned a bloody red, and still the young woman worked over his chest. When she had done as much as she could, she carefully cleaned and bandaged his chest, having to open up his shirt to do it. Her slim fingers lingered over his sharply defined muscles as she worked, and she left goosebumps on his skin where she touched him.

Zhoom's breathing was uneven, and his eyes were closed. Every now and then, he would cough, and she would tremble until the fit was over. That night, her magic power nearly completely drained, she stayed by her lover, his head resting on her knees, his hands by his side. When he began to shake with cold, she was unwilling to leave him, so she conjured up small balls of fire to float around them, warming them and giving her light to notice any change. Amirix kept her hands on the sides of Zhoom's face, now and then stroking the black tattoos under his eyes.

There was no change until morning.

The sun rose, and the first rays fell on the couple, still where Zhoom had fallen. Jack's body lay behind them, dead. Zhoom's stunning emerald eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times. Amirix let out a pent-up breath of relief, and gently stroked his face. Not for the first time, she was glad that Tomix couldn't see her situation right now; he would be murderously angry.

"Are... are you alright? I mean, do you feel alright?"

Zhoom blinked slowly, eyes fixed on her face, and then quietly replied, "I... I think so, aside from... from the fact that I... I just got stabbed. Were... were you... awake all night? For... for me?" He had to take a sharp breath every couple words, it was clear he was very weak.

"I was," she whispered. "Come on, we need to get back. Easy does it," she murmured, gingerly helping him up when he tried to sit up, and fell back with a gasp of pain. They slowly managed to get Zhoom to Orion, and on his horse's back. He grunted, wincing as he pulled himself upright. "Your bandages need changed," she breathed, shaking her head. "We need to get back." She hauled Jack onto the back of her saddle, and tied her horse to Orion's saddle. Then she got into the saddle with Zhoom, in front of him, and murmured gently, "Hang on." Then she got Orion up to a brisk trot that was quick, but smooth. Meaning Zhoom wouldn't be terribly jostled, and would therefore be remotely pain-free.

They made it back to the village outside of the palace roughly around mid-afternoon, and Amirix transported him to Warlic as soon as Orion had been taken care of, at Zhoom's request. As they were slowly walking through the field down to Warlic's tent, Zhoom's emerald eyes suddenly glazed over, and he slumped.

"Zhoom!" Amirix gasped, struggling to keep him upright. He was completely limp. _Don't die, please don't die,_ pleaded the young Mage silently as she pulled the Ranger towards the red tents.

"Warlic!" she cried upon reaching the base of the hill. "Warlic, help me!" The Blue Mage came running out, took one look at Zhoom, and gently escorted the pair into his tent. It appeared to be the inside of a tower, but Amirix didn't question this.

"I don't know where it hit him," she said, panicking as he wouldn't wake up. "It was somewhere in the left side of his chest, and I don't think it hit his heart, but I just don't know!"

"Calm yourself, Amirix," murmured Warlic soothingly. "He's lost a lot of blood, but if he can stay here for a few days he will be fine." Amirix stayed by Zhoom's head, brushing his hair out of his eyes and stroking his face. Warlic watched the pair, realizing now that Amirix had opted to lose Tomix in favor of Zhoom, if need be.

_She's been through a lot of hardships,_ he thought.

Amirix lay curled up in a padded chair that Warlic had brought over next to the table Zhoom lay on, and even now drifted to sleep, her hand resting lightly over his. Warlic worked on Zhoom overnight, and had healed the wound. However, it would take a couple of days for him to completely recover. He left to get some sleep himself in the early morning, when it was still dark.

ZHOOM

Zhoom's eyes slowly flickered open. He was confused as to where he was, and felt a hand lightly resting over one of his own. He turned his head, feeling stiff, and saw Amirix, her knees drawn up to her chin, sleeping. One arm was extended to cover his own hand. He half-smiled, and wove his fingers through hers. Her eyelids flickered, but other than that she did not move. Zhoom propped himself up on his elbows, grunting with pain as he did so, and examined his bare chest. He saw nothing, only smooth skin on the upper left area of his chest. Still hurt like hell.

Grumbling to himself, he lay back down, wincing. He saw his red and gold shirt draped across a chair nearby, but just out of arm's reach. Outside the entrance of what appeared to be a tower, he saw the field of Warlic's that his tent resided in. But...

Shaking his head, Zhoom didn't even try to think about it. Magic confused him. Either way, he wasn't in the Sandsea, and it was night. Sighing quietly, he tried to sleep again, but on the tabletop this was not easy. He managed, though.

AMIRIX

Amirix opened her eyes to Warlic's tower that he shared with Cysero, and one of the first things she noticed was that her fingers were intertwined with Zhoom's. She smiled slightly, then got to her feet, stretching, making sure not to jostle her lover's arm too much. She made up her mind; she had to tell Tomix it was over. He was barely out of Ravenloss, anyways, and with all of Greed's troublemaking she scarcely saw him.

With her free hand, she brushed the messy black hair out of his eyes yet again, then moved around him so she was at his side. She studied his face curiously, thoughtfully. Then she quickly pressed her lips to his brow, just a brief movement, then she took her hand back and exited the tent. She stood outside in the cool night air, her arms around herself, just staring up at the stars.

_What should I do?_ she asked herself. _How should I tell him, tell Tomix?_

And then the problem was partially solved for her.

Tomix appeared out of a rift, glowing purple, right in front of her.

"Amirix!" he whispered, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He went to embrace her, but though it went against all her instincts, she stopped him.

"Tomix," she whispered. He could hear the pain in her voice, and paused.

"Amirix...? What... what's going on?"

She lowered her eyes, clasping her hands together. "Tomix, I-I'm not quite sure... how to say this..."

And somehow, Tomix knew what was coming. But he waited, and accepted it for what it was.

"I... I'm sorry. I just... I can't. I can't get involved with you."

But Tomix just held her close, holding her to his chest one last time. "I'll always love you," he whispered. "Never forget that." And then he let her go, and backed into the rift again, his eyes inscrutable. And he was gone. He was just gone.

Amirix sank to her knees on the grass, drawing a great, shuddering breath. She felt a comforting, warm, muscular arm snake around her shoulders. She just collapsed into Zhoom's warm chest, and then the tears began. Quiet sobs racked her body, and she just curled into a tight ball against Zhoom, and let the tears run. His bare chest was warm to her, and she huddled up against it. He just held her, saying nothing, doing nothing more than stroking her hair and holding her tight for her comfort.

ZHOOM

Dawn came, and the pair still were on their knees in the grass. Amirix was in a tight ball on Zhoom's lap against his bare chest, still crying. Eventually, he picked her up in his arms and carried her back into their tent.

Warlic had created a separate crimson tent, a short distance from his, with 2 small beds, a table, 2 chairs, and the entrance flap could be tied open.

"You can stay in here, if you wish, and you'll be close enough that if you need me you can get me," he had told them, and Zhoom now carried Amirix inside. He lay her gently on one of the beds, and covered her with a blanket. He then sat beside her head on the floor, holding one of her hands.

His normally stern, annoyed expression had softened, and he realized that it must be uncomfortable sleeping in braids. He reached for her hair, and then hesitated. He didn't think anyone had ever seen her with her hair down, and he wondered what it would look like.

Then Zhoom gingerly took out the pins in Amirix's hair, and set them on the table. Her shiny white hair fell loose, draping over her shoulder, partially hiding her face. It was long, very long, Zhoom estimated, and wavy. But... it made her look more... feminine. He liked that, but particularly on her. With his free hand, he gently pulled one of the shorter locks out of her face, exposing her soft, crumpled face. She was hurting, that much Zhoom could see. He sighed lightly, and pulled her hand up to his face. He examined it for a few moments, looking at the slim fingers, and the scar across the heel of her palm from her early days as a Mage. Her hand was dry, but he still held it. Zhoom brought it briefly to his lips, letting his lips brush it slightly.

He loved Amirix. He loved her beauty, her skills, her perception of the world. But most of all, he loved her spirit and the way she always fought for what she thought was right, and acted on it. And this was what he was attracted to in her. He leaned his head eventually against the bed, and let his eyes drift shut. He had earned some sleep.

AMIRIX

Amirix's eyes flew open, and she waited for her racing heart to gradually slow. That dream... it had seemed so real...

And the memory of the Sepulchure in her dream grew gradually fainter.

But... it hadn't been a bad dream. It had been a _good_ dream... in a roundabout way. Sepulchure was, as usual, slaughtering innocent townsfolk... but this time, it wasn't in an effort to get to the Orbs. It was him trying to get to her. She had defied his master, and had chosen instead to resist him. But she constituted a threat. So... he'd had Sepulchure make her fall for him. And she had been aware of the scheme, but she went with them willingly... because Sepulchure's master had promised to have enough with the townspeople if she surrendered.

And Lore was safe, because she exchanged her life for all the hurting to stop.

She sat up, shivering slightly in the cool night air, and saw Zhoom leaning against the bed. He held her left hand, and he was sleeping. Waiting for her. She almost smiled.

Amirix left the tent, wrapping her arms around her, shivering again in her short gown that went under her Mage's robe. But instead of dwelling on that which would not help, she sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest, and began to sing. Softly at first, and then in a normal tone that rang and shimmered like a bell.

_"Deep in a meadow_

_Under a willow_

_A bed of grass_

_A soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head_

_And close your eyes_

_And when they open_

_The sun will rise_

_Here it's safe _

_And here it's warm_

_And here the daisies guard_

_You from every harm_

_And here your dreams are sweet_

_And tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is _

_The place where I love you_

_Deep in a meadow_

_Hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves_

_A moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes_

_And let your troubles lay_

_For when again it's morning_

_They'll wash away"_

The final note faded to silence, and Amirix set her chin on her knees, her long, wavy white hair fanning out over her back. She heard the soft, pantherlike tread of Zhoom behind her, and felt a light kiss on the top of her head. She didn't move.

"That was beautiful," Zhoom murmured to her, gently dropping a blanket he'd brought around her shoulders. She did not reply.

SEPULCHURE

Sepulchure stared silently into the large orb in front of him. He listened to the beautiful melody of her voice, nearly transfixed by it. He saw the pathetic Ranger put a blanket around her shoulders, and grimaced. If he was going to have to sit through another round of this, he was going to be sick. What he was waiting for was a moment when she was completely alone, when he could capture her and take her to his master.

Although, a tiny part of himself admitted, she _was_ beautiful. No wonder the two weaklings, the Soulweaver and the Ranger, were in love with her. She had spirit, Sepulchure thought. And then a dark smile contorted his face. He could crush that spirit in an instant if he so chose.

_Maybe Master will allow me to keep her... as a pet, of course,_ the young man thought. The singing wasn't bad. Of course, after they had killed her dragon, the girl would be completely useless, so there was more than a chance that his master would grant his wish.

Sepulchure got up abruptly, grabbing a normal straight, double-edged longsword. He wanted to be able to sneak up on her; she was alone now, walking in the forest.

AMIRIX

Amirix sat down silently on a log, surrounded by ferns, with the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She had told Zhoom she was going for a walk, and he had accepted that she needed some time alone. Now, the young Mage listened to the sounds of the forest... the birds, the dripping of water somewhere, the rustling of the wind in the leaves... it all sounded so peaceful. She gingerly lay sideways, and closed her eyes. She could stay here forever, she thought.

Someone coughed.

Amirix sat straight upright, glancing around fearfully. She saw the sunlight dappling the leaves and the ground around her, and realized she had fallen asleep. But what occupied most of her attention was the man in red, horned, spiked armour with a longsword laying across his lap sitting on a stump opposite her.

_Sepulchure!_ she thought in absolute fear, rising in one fluid motion and spitting a curse of magic at him. An orb about the size of her head flew at him from her fingertips, and as it was still in the air she ran. She ran faster than a deer, bounding over other fallen trees, ducking low-hanging branches, and sidestepping things in the way. She was fleet-footed, and she ran on winged feet back in what she thought was the direction of Warlic's camp.

There! She saw the crimson through the trees. Out of nowhere, Sepulchure was standing in front of her, his longsword planted in front of her. She saw Zhoom exit the tent, but he didn't see her; she was still within the darkness of the treeline. Amirix opened her mouth to call out to him, but then the hated figure in blood-red armour said coldly, "I really wouldn't." She snapped her mouth shut, realizing that she shouldn't...

Sepulchure could easily kill Zhoom, with just a flick of his wrist. And she didn't want to see him hurt.

Amirix sighed quietly, and asked in a low voice, "What do you want?"

SEPULCHURE

The man in red armour studied the girl in the short, slim white dress for a few long moments. She had not started crying, begging for her life or the life of others, she just accepted this had happened and acted on it.

"You," he replied shortly. She looked up at him in disbelief, until he elaborated. "You are a threat to my master. He had decided that, since you... declined coming into his service... either your dragon dies, and you become my pet, or..."

"I really hope I like the second option," muttered Amirix, looking away from him.

"...or you both die."

"What, no option number three?"

Sepulchure smirked; he had to admire her spirit. "I'm afraid not."

"Well, then I'll make one." His eyes narrowed, and the smirk disappeared. "I think I like option number three; you and your master meet me somewhere, and we can... hammer out the details."

The man in red armour remained silent for several minutes. Amirix noticed his grip tighten on the gold hilt of the longsword.

"...The floating island, noon, tomorrow. If you aren't there... we're going to continue with option 'B'."

AMIRIX

Amirix let out a pent-up breath as Sepulchure touched two fingers to his forehead, or where it would be, anyways, and vanished. She shakily walked out of the woods, trying to maintain her composure, and when she saw Zhoom, she couldn't help but run right into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and laid her head against his chest. She noticed idly that he had put his shirt back on. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, and raised one hand to stroke her long white hair. She looked up at Zhoom, a slight smile on her face, and he smiled, too.

He took a small breath of her sweet spice smell, then leaned his head down to hers, meeting her gaze curiously. Amirix smiled miscehviously, pulling her head back for a moment, her sapphire eyes sparkling. Zhoom's emerald gaze met hers curiously, and very, very slowly, almost as if he were wondering what would happen, he began to move his face towards hers. Amirix remained perfectly still, unable to tear her gaze away from his face, even if she had wanted to. Zhoom got so close that their bottom lips brushed, and Amirix realized that hers was trembling, just a bit. And she realized that she had never kissed Zhoom before.

He inclined his head just a little bit more, and he kissed Amirix. She didn't move, surrounded by joy. She had forgiven herself for the pain she had caused Tomix and the rest of Lore, and was now only concerned with looking ahead. She broke the kiss and laughed as Zhoom picked her up as she was, keeping his hands on her waist, and lifted her to spin her around in a circle.

His eyes widened as he heard her laugh for the first time, a true, happy, laugh. He hadn't heard this kind from her before, and he loved it. He smiled, and once more bent his head down to kiss her.

SEPULCHURE

He clenched his hands as he saw the couple kiss in the orb. He hated the sight. She was, in his opinion, too pretty or useful to waste on a Ranger. Particularly that Ranger.

Getting up explosively, he swore, and he strode to the window of the castle of his, the one set on a flying dragon. He looked out the window, seeing the forest where he had only just spoken to her. At this distance, however, he could not see the crimson tents, nor the figure in white and the figure in red-and-khaki together outside of the tents.

"_Oh, Sepulchure..."_ the voice he continued to hear at the back of his mind made him whip around angrily, and had to compose himself before adressing the sword, his master.

"Yes, Master?"

_"...You wouldn't happen to be developing... FEELINGS for this girl, now would you, Sepulchure?"_

"Of course not, Master, that would interfere with my duties." And then another thought occured to the man in red armour. "On second thought, Master..."

_"Yessss?"_

"... To hell with you. You can bug me, but I don't see how you can command me. Nor do I see how I have to obey." That said, he took the sword, his master, and tossed it into the magma pits on either side of his throne. It screamed as it fell, and he smiled. He was free. And besides, he had plenty of good weapons to choose from.

"Much better."

Sepulchure sat on his blood-red throne, a little more relaxed than he had been. Now nobody could command him.

... And he was still free to meet that Mage at noon tomorrow.

AMIRIX

"Um... Zhoom?"

The half Sand elf looked down at her in surprise. "What is it, Amirix?"

She bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. "Well... tomorrow, midmorning... I've got someplace I need to go." She knew she'd have to leave earlier than noon in order to make it to the Floating Island to the north in time.

"Well, that's fine, Amirix."

"Okay."

Zhoom took his right hand, and using the side of a finger he lifted her chin again. He smiled, and she couldn't help smiling, too. She lowered her gaze and laid her head against his muscular chest, sighing softly, breathing in his musky smell. Funny, up till now she had never noticed it before. But it smelled... divine. Zhoom's smile widened a bit, and he swept her up into his arms, and she laughed again. He carried her into the tent, his lips silencing her laugh as he swept the flap aside.

"...Z-Z-Zhoom?" asked Amirix, trying unsuccessfully to hide a yawn against his collarbone.

"Yes?" he asked, turning his deep, emerald gaze on her.

"I'm going to bed," she mumbled tiredly.

"That's fine, love. Just sleep."

"Okay," the young Mage sighed, lightly resting her head on his upper arm- partly because this was the closest part of him to her that she could sleep on.

"Not here, Amirix," he chuckled, taking her up in his arms again. She was carried for a few moments, then was gently laid down on her bed. She rolled to one side, closing her eyes. A few seconds later, a muscular arm wound with an iron grip around her. She inched backwards in his embrace before feeling her back come up against his body, and a small smile curved her lips. Amirix felt him place a gentle kiss in her hair, which she had left down to make him happy.

And sleep took her.

When Amirix woke, she suddenly remembered her meeting with the evil, crimson-armoured man, and got up immediately. She could see through a crack between the flap and the tent wall that it was daylight. Of course, this didn't mean a great deal, but she had to know what time of day it was at least. Poking her head out into the bright sunlight, she blinked as her eyes adjusted, and glanced up at the sun. It was just after midmorning.

"Damn," she muttered, hurriedly getting into her Mage robes. She swiftly tied her hair into a loose braid, unwilling to do the intricate braiding, and hung it over her shoulder. A small lock of white hair hung into her face. She put her hood up, and then turned to Zhoom. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder, and kissed him lightly. Then Amirix quickly left, after grabbing her staff.

"Khadijah, stay here," she whispered to her dragon before leaving. She wasn't going to risk Khadijah being killed- Sepulchure was simply too powerful to risk bringing him along.

The young Mage quickly made her way south; there was a portal here that took one directly to the floating island. Seeing the stone archway with a glowing orange orb on top of it, Amirix strode quickly over to it, and took a deep breath. This could well be the last time she set foot here... because Sepulchure would likely kill her. She closed her eyes briefly, and pushed aside any further doubts. If he did kill her, then at least he would stop savaging Lore to find her dragon.

Amirix stepped through the portal, and found herself on the floating island of the Wind Elementals. Of course, they would all be in that cave over there, but the stream that ran across the surface was cool and clear. She could see that Sepulchure wasn't here yet, and sighed deeply.

_For now,_ she thought, _I'm going to enjoy the time I have left._ By this point, Amirix had accepted that she was not going to return. She gingerly took off her white flat slippers, and pulled her Mage robes up to her knees. She slipped her feet into the cool, clear stream, sitting on the bank, and sighed. This felt... nice.

_Probably the last 'nice' thing you're going to feel,_ a small voice muttered in the back of her head. She ignored it entirely.

Amirix leaned her head back, closing her eyes, letting the warmth of the noon sun suffuse her skin. It was warm, but not quite hot, not just yet.

"Enjoying the sun, are we, Mage?"

She whipped around to see the figure in red armour, leaning casually against a tree, arms crossed. A normal longsword hung at his hip, and Amirix relaxed slightly. At least that freaky talking sword wasn't here.

"No reason not to," she replied smoothly. She was going to do her best to keep the conversation calm and reasonable as long as possible, just in case... something happened.

Sepulchure did not respond, only straightened up and walked over. She didn't take her eyes off him. It wasn't that she thought he would try treachery, but... she didn't trust him. Of course, with an enemy, that was to be expected, of course, but still...

"So... what is it that you want?" asked Amirix. She kept her voice even, toneless.

"You."

"You've said that before... I mean, what exactly _about _me? Khadijah? My magic? What?"

SEPULCHURE

Sepulchure thought for a second, and then replied in answer to her question, "A bit of each. Your dragon has been ordered killed. Your magic would be taken away. You would become... powerless."

_But still beautiful,_ he added silently. Sepulchure did think that Amirix was beautiful. And he wanted her. He had no wish to kill her. However, coupled with her dragon, they had the potential to take him down. And that could not happen. So her dragon had to die.

That didn't mean she had to, as well, of course.

Amirix had been silent for a few moments, Sepulchure noticed, and eventually turned her head away from him. She used one toe to flip over a flat, river-smoothed stone over in the fast-flowing stream, thinking carefully about her answer before replying.

"I... I don't know how to say this..." Amirix said slowly to Sepulchure, sighing deeply. "But... if I did agree to either go with you or let you kill me right now, would... would you agree to just... leave all the rest of Lore?"

"Not quite."

"What, then?"

"You seem to have missed out on the whole 'dragon' issue."

Amirix turned back to Sepulchure, studying him. He still seemed to be at ease, and there was no point in antagonizing him.

"I could separate from Khadijah," she said quietly, returning her gaze to the stream. "I could order him never to leave a certain range, then separate from him."

Sepulchure looked at the young woman in shock.

_She would really do that?_ a small voice whispered. _Completely separate from her dragon in order to save Lore? Putting aside anything she would have wanted, any dreams she had?_

"I would," she murmured softly, almost in response to his thoughts when he didn't respond. "... If that is what it takes."

"This won't be easy for you," Sepulchure said in a low voice. Amirix looked up at him again, from within the depths of her hood. Her face was still visible, though.

"No," she replied, her voice even quieter than before. "It won't be. But it's necessary." Even with how quiet her voice was, he could still hear the pain laced in it. And he wanted to take away that pain, he realized in some shock. He wanted to let her go, let her be. But to do that would spread the word that he had softened, and he couldn't afford that.

"Well... look's like there's an option 'C' now," he said, striding a little closer. Amirix didn't look up at him now.

"I suppose there is," she murmured in the same tone as before. From this angle, to her right and slightly behind, he could see her close her eyes. A moment later, a single tear slipped down her right cheek.

AMIRIX

Amirix didn't try to stop the drop of crystal that slipped down her face. Once it had fallen, no more followed it.

She still didn't move as she heard him sit down on the grass, roughly 2 feet away from her. She didn't care. Not much would matter after she was killed. She just wanted her loved ones to be happy. Like Zhoom... She would have to tell him. It would be painful, seeing his expression, she knew, but she was going to have to break the news at some point.

"I'm going back," she said softly. "I need to tell them; Zhoom, Khadijah, Warlic... Tomorrow, you... you can kill me however you wish. I want one last day here."

"Of course."

And now Amirix did look at Sepulchure. She was confused, it showed on her face, but she hadn't expected him to sound so... so...

_Human,_ finished a gentle voice in her head. _He is only human, the same as you._

She nodded once, and withdrew her feet from the stream. Spiraling a touch of wind from a fingertip, she dried the skin, and then put her slippers back on. She rose, and without a parting glance, walked through the portal. As soon as she saw the crimson tents, she raced towards the one farthest to the left, and into it.

"Zhoom?" she asked, her sapphire eyes wide. She saw the ranger sitting on the edge of the bed, just now putting on the thick gold bands that wrapped around each wrist. He looked up immediately.

"Amirix, what is it?" Zhoom rose and took the two steps over to her, and put his arms around her. She pulled her arms up against her chest, burying her face in his chest. "You're shaking like a leaf. What's wrong?" But Amirix just shook her head slowly, comforted by him holding her close.

"So many things are wrong," she mumbled into his shirt. "Are you really sure you want to know?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Amirix lifted her chin, looking up into Zhoom's concerned emerald gaze, then let it all out at once, hating the feeling of waiting. "Tomorrow I am going to separate from Khadijah, leave you, and be killed by Sepulchure in order that the world of Lore shall be safe." His tortured, shocked, pained expression was even worse than she had expected, and it took her breath away. She closed her eyes to it, and buried her face in his chest again.

"... You mean I'm going to lose you?" She just mutely nodded. Zhoom tightened his grip around her a little, and he appeared to become a statue. Amirix couldn't stop a quiet whimper from breaking free, and Zhoom gently pulled her hood down, stroking her hair, and placed a gentle kiss on her brow. "It will be alright," he murmured, holding her even closer. "We'll... we'll be okay."

"How can you say that?" sobbed Amirix, the tears breaking free at last. "It _can't _be okay! By this time tomorrow, I'll be dead!"

"Shh, shh," said Zhoom gently. "I don't know, Amirix, I honestly don't know. But... we'll make it through this together. You're not going anywhere without me. I'd follow you to the end of the world."

"But you don't have to die, too," she sniffled, using the heel of her hand to wipe away the tears coming from her eyes.

"I would rather die than watch you die."

"R-Really?" Amirix sounded like a young child seeking reassurance. She looked up at Zhoom, her eyes searching for comfort.

"Yes," he replied gently, but with conviction, holding her even closer to him.

"This way. The portal is right through here."

Zhoom kept his arm around Amirix's waist as they walked together into the clearing with the portal, and he turned to her gently.

"Are you sure about this?" he murmured, inclining his face so their foreheads rested against each other.

"... Yes. But... are _you_ sure? Zhoom, you could get killed!"

"So could you."

"You speak as though I won't."

"..."

The couple passed through the portal, and a pair of blue eyes watched from far off. Khadijah snuffled. Why had she forbidden him from doing anything save going to Lady Celestia? She had seemed quiet, downcast, and she had hugged him.

She _never _hugged him. Something was wrong.

But she had separated herself from his mind, so he could do nothing but watch.

Amirix and Zhoom emerged onto the floating island. And there was the man in the spiked red armour.

SEPULCHURE

Sepulchure watched in anger as Amirix slowly stepped towards him, her eyes down. She was accompanied by that Ranger, and he didn't like that.

_Yes,_ he decided. _He will die. But not her. Oh, no, no, no... not her. It would be such a waste._

Lifting his right hand, Sepulchure flicked a finger, and a jet-black orb of light fringed by a deep, sinister violet shot straight at the center of Zhoom's chest. He dropped.

AMIRIX

"_No!_" Amirix shrieked, dropping to her knees beside Zhoom, pulling his head onto her lap. She stroked his face, lightly shook his shoulders, frantically speaking to him..

"Zhoom, no, no, you have to stay alive! Say something, talk to me! No, no... Zhoom, wake up! Come on, you _have_ to wake up! Please! You've got to stay alive, for me! Please, Zhoom, get up!"

The figure on the ground didn't move. Amirix's panicked voice slowly faded to silence, and quiet sobs racked her body. Small tears dropped onto Zhoom's chest, and soaked into the thin fabric. The half-sand elf's emerald eyes stared straight ahead, staring up at the sky. Amirix's thin white braid fell over her shoulder from under her hood, and with slim, gentle fingers closed his eyes.

"How could you." The words were barely whispered, scarecely murmured. "How _COULD YOU!_" Her voice rose to a scream, breaking on the last word, and she continued sobbing.

Sepulchure, Amirix noticed with a surge of hate, said nothing. Nothing at all. After a long while, she rose, wiping the tears away with the heel of her hand and sniffling.

"Well?" she asked in a choked voice. "Kill me now. Kill me now, because I have nothing left to live for."

SEPULCHURE

The man in red armour studied Amirix for several long moments. Had she really loved this Ranger so much? Hm.

He heard her say, "Kill me now," and blinked. Before, she had not asked him to hurry up or slow down. She just accepted it. And now, with the death of her lover, she wanted it to come soon. But the next statement of hers made him start.

"Kill me now, or I _will _kill you, Sepulchure. And after I have killed you, I will kill myself." The final words were spat out, and her face was twisted with pain, loss, and rage.

Curious to see what she would do, he did nothing, and she lifted her hand in front of her face, palm upward.

"_Sventar di throden, confn ekess ve jaka. Si lasau wux jaka ekess tluog ve dout vers batobot si nomag svent nomeno rekisix, nomeno sventar_!" Her voice started low, a sort of aside voice, and as she continued to weave the spell that would kill Sepulchure, her voice rose in volume, until she was screaming at him, hurling the language at him, the usually musical words full of hate.

Above her outstretched palm there appeared a huge orb, nearly twice the size of her head, and it shone like the sun. It was bright gold, but so bright that Sepulchure's eyes hurt to look at it. Past the orb, he saw, her eyes blazed violet. They had changed from the comforting, soft sapphire blue to this murderous purple. And for the first time, Sepulchure felt a slight twinge of fear. He raised his hand, palm facing her, and began to utter the first of the chain of words that would kill her on the spot. But she smiled evilly, and hurled the orb at him, the force of her swing thrusting her backwards several steps.

The last thing he saw was a blinding light spinning faster than a tornado, headed in a beeline for his heart.

AMIRIX

She stood unsteadily, panting hard as the red-armoured figure crumpled. The violet faded gradually from her eyes, and she sank to her hands and knees on the grass. Her fingers curled through the grass and dirt back towards her palms, and angry tears dropped onto the gentle green growth. From within her Mage robe, she withdrew a long, slightly curved dagger. It had a silver blade, and the hilt was steel. The grip was bound with simple black leather, and in place of the pommel there was a large sapphire about an inch in diameter... the same shade as her eyes.

She knelt by Zhoom's head, and gingerly took his hand. With her other hand, she raised the dagger high above her... And then drove it into her body under her sternum.

"Welcome back, Amirix," murmured a soft voice. She was being gently lifted by her waist, and was upright by the time she opened her eyes. She was staring straight into a pair of emerald orbs, and she threw her arms around Zhoom's neck.

"I thought I'd lost you forever," she whispered, her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly.

"Not forever," he corrected, stroking her hair with one hand and wrapping a corded arm around her waist. "Just a few minutes."

"Even so," she laughed lightly, pulling back to see his face. He looked much the same as he had before he had been hit by Sepulchure's darkness.

Looking around, she also realized that she was alive, that they were both alive, and in her house back near Falconreach. Smiling blissfully, she curled into his chest, her head under his chin, and breathed in slowly and deeply. It was the best way to calm her racing heart.

Zhoom took a finger and lifted her chin, and she flashed a dazzling smile. He leaned his face down, and she stretched upwards a little bit. He pressed his lips against hers, and she kissed back, her heart beating erratically.

Suddenly, a small black-and-white head wormed its way between them, and she laughed as Khadijah growled lovingly. After a few seconds of shock, Zhoom chuckled, too, and the small family fell back onto Amirix's bed together, laughing and happy.


End file.
